GS Global takes delivery of first BYD Sealion 6 DM-i in South Korea

Handover marks six years of eco-friendly mobility partnership between the two companies

Vehicle to be used for business operations

Firms to continue exploring opportunities in future mobility

From left: Ma Rin-young, CEO of Harmony Automobile, the official BYD Korea dealer, and Kim Eui-su, executive director of GS Global's ECO Solutions division. [GS Global]

GS Global said Thursday it held a vehicle handover ceremony as the first domestic customer of the Sealion 6 DM-i, a plug-in hybrid electric SUV that BYD Korea recently introduced to the South Korean market.

The ceremony marked the eco-friendly mobility partnership between GS Global and BYD that has continued since 2020. GS Global plans to use the Sealion 6 DM-i for business operations and intends to expand cooperation with BYD on the back of the occasion.

The relationship began in 2020, when GS Global was appointed as the official domestic importer for select segments of BYD's commercial vehicle lineup. Since entering the electric bus business that year, GS Global has supplied about 1,550 BYD low-floor electric buses to major cities and provinces across South Korea, helping expand eco-friendly public transportation.

In the second half of this year, the company plans to officially launch the BYD eCoach12, a 12-meter high-floor electric coach, in the domestic market. The move is intended to extend its commercial vehicle lineup beyond city buses into the express, intercity and charter bus segments.

GS Global is also working to transform itself into a smart mobility platform company. It recently signed an MOU with Studio Galilei, a domestic demand-responsive transport platform provider, and plans to supply customized electric buses optimized for the traffic demand and operating conditions of DRT service areas. The company also intends to build an integrated smart mobility solution encompassing charging infrastructure development and operations, and to expand into new business areas such as senior care and other everyday lifestyle mobility services.

"Taking delivery of the first Sealion 6 DM-i in Korea is a meaningful event that symbolizes the solid trust and partnership the two companies have built over the past six years," a GS Global official said. "Building on the eco-friendly mobility capabilities we have accumulated through our electric bus business, we will continue to identify new business opportunities in future mobility areas, including demand-responsive transport."

keg@heraldcorp.com