IT Times was able to have an interview with Hur Wan, Director General of the organizing committee for the Seoul Motor Show. The following are excerpts from the interview with him.
Q: The Seoul Motor Show is definitely evolving into one of the world's famous and impressive shows since its first launch. What are the features and trends for this year's show
A: As you know, this year's catch phrase is 'Evolution, Green Revolution on Wheels', which means you are going to see various types of environmentally friendly vehicles at the show. Clean diesel cars are the major one that will be dominating the market sooner and different types of green vehicles such as hybrids, hydrogen fuel, and pure electric cars are also going to follow up the clean diesel cars on the market. The show is providing you to see many futuristic concept vehicles including Hyundai's HND-6, Kia's POP, GM Chevrolet's Mi-ray and many more. Also, auto parts companies are the one that you need to visit too. Companies such as Hyudai Mobis, Mando, Yura Corporation and more will be showcasing a lot of environmentally friendly parts and components on their stages.
Q: What types and how many premieres is the Seoul Motor show introducing for this year
A: Over 139 domestic and overseas automakers from eight countries are attending this year. Automakers including Hyundai, Kia Automotive Group, GM Chevrolet and Renault Samsung have introduced five World Premiere vehicles while showcasing 22 Asian and 27 Korean Premiere vehicles including Hyundai HCD-12, Kia K5 Hybrid, GM Chevrolet Cruze, SsangYong SUT-1, Chrysler New 300 series, Porsche 918 RSR, BMW 650i Convertible, Nissan Cube, Volvo V60 D5, Toyota Corolla and more on their stages.
Q: There is no doubt that the Seoul Motor Show always attracts tens of thousands of visitors everytime. How many visitors are you expecting for this year and what elements would be the one that attracts so many people like this
A: I'm very sure that the 2011 Seoul Motor Show will break its own record, which was recorded in 2007 by attracting 102,900 visitors. The organizing committee already counted a 10-percent increase in visitors, when compared to previous Seoul Motor Shows based on first day's visitor numbers. This year's show is holding many exciting events as well as a meaningful forum. These are the elements that will attract more visitors for this year. The World Automotive CEO Forum was held first. The CEOs of world automakers including Ian Robertson, Marketing Chief of BMW, Tim Lee, President of GM and Anand G. Mahindra, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Mahindra Ltd. were invited and spoke about changes and forecasts for the automotive industry. The Best Car of the Show awards was also held on the first day to raise the morale of the automotive industry and promote the technology development drive. International Seminar on Telematics will be held through April 5 to 6. Visitors can try various green cars in the Environment Friendly Vehicle Riding Event. Other contests and events such as UCC Contest and the Photo Contest are being held too.
Q: What results are you expecting from 2011 Seoul Motor Show
A: More than 12,000 parts and components buyers are expected to be visiting the show this year. This positively gives me a higher expectation of meeting our aim, which is achieving US$ 1.3 billion of export consultation. At the same time, the show is also expected to be bring over US$ 1 billion throughout the economy in terms of creating new jobs and promoting transportation business and manufacturing vehicles.
