Mary Barra, GM Chairwoman, Meets Samsung SDI President Choi Yoon-ho... Visits LG in the Afternoon

President Choi Juseon of Samsung Display Accompanies

Mary Barra, Chairwoman of General Motors (GM), the largest automobile manufacturer in the United States, visited Samsung SDI on the morning of the 7th. Having arrived in Korea the day before, Barra is meeting consecutively with domestic battery companies that are building joint battery plants in North America.

According to the battery industry, Barra met with Yoonho Choi, President of Samsung SDI, at Samsung SDI's headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day. Juseon Choi, President of Samsung Display, also attended.

In the afternoon, Barra is expected to move to LG and meet Dongmyung Kim, President of LG Energy Solution. This is Barra's first official visit to Korea since becoming Chairwoman in 2016.

GM is operating or constructing joint battery plants with LG Energy Solution in Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan in the United States. With Samsung SDI, GM is building a joint battery plant in Indiana, aiming to start operations in 2026.

Mary Barra, Chairwoman of General Motors (GM)
[Image source=Reuters, Yonhap News]

Barra is expected to discuss the schedule of joint plant projects and future battery supply volumes with the two companies. On the 30th of last month (local time), during an earnings conference call, Barra announced plans to reintroduce plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to the North American market due to a slowdown in electric vehicle demand. She also expressed her intention to firmly maintain partnerships with Korean battery companies.

The distribution issue of the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit (AMPC) within the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) may also be raised. AMPC is a key provision within the IRA that encourages relocating eco-friendly energy-related manufacturing facilities to the United States. Starting this year, battery modules produced and sold in the U.S. receive a subsidy of $45 (approximately 59,400 KRW) per kWh.

GM may bring up the AMPC issue during this meeting. GM has previously requested that LG Energy Solution be allocated more than 50% of the AMPC corresponding to their joint plant equity share. However, it is not yet confirmed whether Barra will visit the Korea GM headquarters and the Bupyeong and Changwon plants.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.