E Commerce Krisha
E Commerce Krisha
E Commerce Krisha
ROLL NO. 29
SEOUL, January 16, 2020 – Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation today
announced a strategic investment of €100 million (US $110 million) in a new partnership
with Arrival, a UK-based electric vehicle startup.
Through the partnership, Hyundai and Kia plan to introduce competitively priced small and
medium-sized electric vans and other products for logistics, on-demand ride-hailing and
shuttle service companies. Arrival’s scalable electric platform can be adapted for multiple
vehicle categories and types which Arrival, Hyundai and Kia will explore for the
development of a range of Purpose Built Vehicles (PBV).
The partnership with Arrival will help Hyundai and Kia meet the rapidly growing demand in
Europe for eco-friendly commercial vehicles, and accelerate the brands’ transformation from
car makers to clean-mobility providers.
Albert Biermann, President and Head of Research and Development Division for Hyundai
Motor Group, and Denis Sverdlov, Chief Executive Officer of Arrival, signed a contract for
investment and the joint development of electric vehicles at the headquarters of Hyundai and
Kia in Seoul. Of the total investment, Hyundai will contribute €80 million; Kia €20 million.
“The eco-friendly vehicle market in Europe is expected to grow rapidly due to the
introduction of further environmental regulations,” said Biermann. “Through the joint
development of electric commercial vehicles with Arrival, we will be able to gain a
competitive advantage and progressively establish our leadership in the global eco-friendly
vehicle market, with Europe at the forefront.”
Arrival’s CEO Sverdlov added: “Arrival has created a game changing product category -
Generation 2 Electric Vehicles. Hyundai and KIA make world-class vehicles with
uncompromising quality. This strategic partnership will empower our companies to scale
Generation 2 Electric Vehicles globally.”
With the rapid global growth in online shopping, the volume of light commercial vehicles in
urban areas has increased. The demand for eco-friendly commercial vehicles is expected to
continue growing as environmental regulations tighten. From 2021, the EU will introduce the
world’s most stringent vehicle emission regulations, limiting each automaker’s fleet-wide
average CO2 emissions by around 27%, from 130 g/km to 95 g/km.
By working with Arrival, Hyundai and Kia plan to supply eco-friendly vans and other
commercial vehicles – built in volume and based on Arrival’s platform – to European
logistics companies and mobility companies that provide on-demand ride-hailing and shuttle
services.
Youngcho Chi, President and Chief Innovation Officer at Hyundai Motor Group said: “This
investment is part of an open innovation strategy pursued by Hyundai and Kia. We will
accelerate investment and cooperation with companies with advanced technology such as
Arrival, to respond to the rapidly changing eco-friendly vehicle market.”
“We are excited to come out of stealth mode with our partnership with Hyundai Motor
Group, and our complementary expertise will allow us to rapidly design, build and roll out
vehicles together. Accelerating electric vehicle adoption is good for everyone - for people,
business and the planet and we are pleased to undertake this mission with our partners
Hyundai and Kia”, added Avinash Rugoobur, Chief Strategy Officer of Arrival.
The partnership with Arrival enables Hyundai to accelerate its ‘Two-track’ strategy to deliver
battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell solutions for the European commercial vehicle market.
To further support that strategy, Hyundai recently established Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility
(HHM), the joint venture between Hyundai and Swiss hydrogen energy company H2 Energy.
It aims to export 1,600 hydrogen fuel cell trucks to Europe by 2025, following the first export
to Europe on January 3 as part of a pilot program.
Under the ‘open innovation’ spirit, Hyundai and Kia are exploring partnerships with various
businesses to build a leadership position in the rapidly expanding global EV market. In May
2019, Hyundai and Kia invested KRW 100 billion (US $90 million) in Rimac, a Croatian
high-performance electric vehicle company, focusing on collaborative research to secure
capabilities to lead the global high-performance electric vehicle market. In September 2019,
Hyundai and Kia also invested in IONITY, Europe’s largest high-power electric vehicle
charging network, and set the stage for sales expansion of EVs within Europe.
On January 16, Albert Biermann, President and Head of Research and Development Division
for Hyundai Motor Group, and Denis Sverdlov, CEO of Arrival, signed an agreement to
invest in joint development of electric vehicles at Hyundai Motor Group’s headquarters in
Seoul.
(Photo caption 2): (from the right) Edward Lee, EVP and Head of Hyundai Commercial
Vehicle Business Division, Albert Biermann, President and Head of Research and
Development Division for Hyundai Motor Group, Denis Sverdlov, CEO of Arrival, Avinash
Rugoobur, CSO of Arrival