Seoul Motor Show to Kick Off Next Month

The Seoul Motor Show will start its 10-day run from March 31 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.

Starting in 1995, the biennial auto show will display over 300 cars from 27 automakers around the world, with 32 cars to be premiered, according to the organizing committee on Wednesday.

Kia will showcase its premium sedan Stinger, which received great reviews at the Detroit Motor Show last month. It is the fastest car ever sold by Kia, taking only 5.1 seconds to go from 0 to 100km/h. It is slated for release in the first half of this year.

Hyundai is going to unveil an upgraded version of the Grandeur hybrid released in November last year. The new model boasts improved fuel economy and more trunk space.

Ssangyong will show for the first time its large premium SUV that has a project name of Y400.

There will be a number of imported cars making their Korean debut. Mercedes-Benz will showcase four new models, including the E-Class Cabriolet and E-Class Coupe. Many SUVs are also set to make their debut, including Ford's Lincoln Navigator Concept, Peugeot's 5008 GT and two new models from Land Rover.

Environment friendly cars are also awaiting their debut, including GM Korea's electric car Bolt, which will be released in the first half of the year, Renault Samsung's compact electric car Twizy, and Toyota's Prius Prime, set for release as early as March.

Korea's largest portal site Naver is also taking part in the Seoul Motor Show for the first time. It will showcase a self-driving car currently in development, and present how it works.