Irene Galvez (from left), sales general manager at Hyundai Motor’s Chile dealership; Ha Sang-wook, president of the Korean Association in Chile; and Felipe Saitua, general manager at Kia’s Chile dealership, pose with the donated vehicles. Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor and Kia
Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and Kia (000270.KS) have donated patrol electric vehicles to the Korean Association of Chile.
The two automakers each delivered one Ioniq 5 and one EV5 to help create a safe living environment and support community development in the “Korea Street” area of Santiago, Chile, the companies said on the 31st. Korea Street is a district densely packed with Korean restaurants and shops, and a popular destination frequently visited by locals. The city of Santiago officially designated the area’s street name as “Korea Street” on the 14th.
Hyundai Motor Group decided on the vehicle donation to help the Korean association, which had struggled to secure funding for night patrols. Until now, the association had used donations from the Korean expatriate community to hire a private security firm for night patrols. Hyundai Motor and Kia expect the electric vehicle donation to strengthen ties between home-country companies and the overseas Korean community while supporting local community activities. In particular, they anticipated that using electric vehicles, which carry relatively low maintenance costs, for patrols would help reduce nighttime security gaps while contributing to stable community operations.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group has continued to engage with local customers and pursue coexistence with the community through various social contribution activities in Chile. When a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile in 2010, the group provided 200,000 dollars in donations for disaster recovery and relief for those affected. Hyundai Mobis also helped the affected areas recover quickly by offering mobile repair services for earthquake-damaged vehicles and discounting parts prices.