Sweden-based vehicle manufacturer Volvo Car Group will join hands with South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. to develop future vehicles such as self-driving and electric cars with an aim to expand its presence in the burgeoning new-generation vehicle market.
Volvo is most likely to establish a strategic partnership with LG Electronics to co-develop key technologies from an early stage rather than simply receive related components from the Korean tech giant.
According to multiple industry sources on Friday, Hakan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Car Group, visited LG Electronics’ campus in Cheongna, Incheon, where the company’s vehicle components division is located. Samuelsson, who arrived in Seoul on Wednesday, met with Lee Woo-jong, chief executive and president of vehicle components division at LG Electronics and toured around the campus and research and development facilities.
Industry observers believe there is a great chance of Volvo and LG Electronics working together in the field of future cars. An unnamed industry official said that LG Electronics is not yet much equipped with high technology when it comes to self-driving vehicles, and establishing a strategic partnership with Volvo would allow both companies to be in a win-win situation.
Volvo plans to launch an all-electric vehicle in 2019 with a range of 500 kilometers or more on a full charge. It is pinning on LG to become its electronics pillar. Moreover, LG Chem is a leader in electric vehicle battery technology.
LG Electronics have collaborated with General Motors to develop and supply 11 key components and systems including driving motors and inverter battery packs for GM's fully electric Chevrolet Bolt. With 400 kilometers range on a full charge, the Bolt is gaining industry attention as it is competitively priced at $30,000 and raises the bar on price and range for mass production electric cars.
Key management officials at Volvo’s parent company Zhejiang Geely Holding of China also met with LG Chairman Koo Bon-moo last month and visited the company’s vehicle component division in Incheon.
Over the past few years, China has made impressive strides in renewable-energy investment. The promotion of renewable energy will only become more important as China works to meet its commitments under the recently-ratified Paris climate agreement. But the country's reliance on coal for electricity generation still poses a huge problem for these... ![Tesla Model S at Supercharger site in Ventura, CA, with just one slot open [photo: David Noland]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/tesla-model-s-electric-car-road-trip-upstate-new-york-to-southern-california-photo-david-noland_100500011_t.gif)
A major perk for Tesla Model S and Model X owners has been free access to the carmaker's network of Supercharger DC fast-charging stations. But after January 1, new Tesla buyers won't get that free access. Tesla will charge anyone who buys one of its cars after that point for use of Supercharger stations, a move it says is meant to emphasize use... 
The Volkswagen diesel scandal convinced European regulators to switch from laboratory emissions testing to tests that involve actual, on-road driving. This could prevent automakers from deploying "defeat device" software like the kind used by VW on laboratory tests, as well as produce results that more closely align with what consumers can expect... 
Toyota has been a confirmed naysayer on long-range battery-electric cars for two decades. Instead, hydrogen fuel cells have been its zero-emission technology of choice. In that context, a new report suggesting Toyota will start building significant numbers of battery-electric cars is quite stunning indeed. DON'T MISS: Now Toyota can make electric... 
While Volkswagen has received approval from U.S. and European authorities to take some steps to address diesel cars with emissions-cheating "defeat device" software, the diesel scandal is still expanding. A German probe into whether VW should have notified investors of the "defeat devices" earlier now includes the chairman of the company's... 
The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime is a new plug-in version of the fourth-generation Prius hybrid launched last year. It succeeds the previous Prius Plug-In Hybrid, but it's a much better—and considerably more electric—vehicle than that discontinued model. We've driven the new Prius Prime in southern California, but is it the right car for... 
Today, California reportedly finds a new emissions "defeat device" in Audi transmissions, General Motors ramps up production of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car, and Volkswagen creates controversy when it ends the contract of a historian. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Catch up on last week's news with our Week in Reverse feature... 
With anticipation of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV launch growing, General Motors has started to ramp up production of its groundbreaking 200-mile electric car. (It's actually rated by the EPA at 238 miles combined, but it joins a segment of the electric-car market with 200 miles or more of range that has only been occupied to date by cars with a... 
The Volkswagen diesel scandal has brought increased scrutiny on how new cars are tested for emissions and fuel economy. VW's use of "defeat device" software to cheat on laboratory emissions tests could cause regulators to put greater emphasis on on-road emissions testing. But, in Europe at least, there is some debate about which entity will... 
Electric-car mandates can be a powerful tool for reducing transportation-related emissions. California first proposed its current zero-emission vehicle mandate in December 2011, but similar mandates are only now being widely adopted elsewhere. One such policy in China is creating friction, however. DON'T MISS: Quebec passes Canada's first... 
More than a year after it was revealed that Volkswagen used illegal "defeat device" software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests, the company is still working to rebuild its reputation. Another crisis and ensuing public criticism is the last thing VW needs right now. But opaque statements and the effect of German labor laws may have... 
China overtook the U.S. last year to become the world's largest market for electric cars. But a large portion of the vehicles included in Chinese new-car sales tallies are low-speed electric vehicles that would not meet U.S. standards for highway-capable cars. Now Chinese regulators are paying more attention to these vehicles. CHECK OUT: China To... 
Just when it looked like the Volkswagen Group was getting a grip on its diesel emissions cheating scandal that erupted in September 2015, a report has come out claiming the automaker has cars with a different type of “defeat device” used to hide emissions from regulators. Germany’s Bild am Sonntag (via Reuters) on Sunday reported... 
California is currently the only U.S. state where hydrogen fuel-cell cars are available for purchase. If various interested parties have their way, it could also be the only state to boast fuel-cell ferries. Last year, Sandia National Laboratories and the Red and White Fleet ferry company announced plans to design and build a "high-speed"... 
Which electric-car naysayer may have relented, at least just a tiny bit? What will Volkswagen do with the TDI diesel cars it's about to start buying back? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, November 4, 2016. Friday, we updated our report on October electric-car... 
Today, we have the results of our latest poll, which asked whether Tesla Motors should report monthly sales, as other carmakers do. We also have an update on October 2016 plug-in electric car sales, and the unlikely winner of a U.K. fuel-economy challenge. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Indian automaker Mahindra may export a new four-door...