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신세계 그룹 정용진 부회장.
신세계 그룹 이명희 회장의 아들이자 삼성그룹 이건희 회장의 조카인 그는 감각적인 패션, 그리고 트위터를 통해 한때 소비자들과 직접 소통하는 파격적인 행보로 주목받고 있다.
이러한 그가 2013년에 미국의 고급 전기차 테슬라 모델 S을 구입하면서 한국의 테슬라 1호 개인고객이 되었을 당시만 해도 크게 생각치 않았던 것이 사실이다.
정 부회장 이전에는 한국에서 현대차와 기아에서 연구 목적으로 각각 한대씩 구입했던 전력은 있었다. 테슬라 S는 1억원이 훌쩍 넘는 고사양 자동차로, 아직 한국에 정식으로 수입되지 않고 있다. 정 부회장은 이러한 테슬라 승용차를 미국에서 직접 구입하여, 집에 충전시설까지 갖추었다고 한다.
소문난 자동차 수집가인 정부회장의 차고에 벤츠, BMW, 페라리를 비롯한 컬렉션에 전기차까지 더해진 것이다.
그러나 테슬라는 단순히 정 부회장의 취미생활에서 끝나지 않았다는 점에서 화제가 되고 있다.
신세계그룹은 최근 2015년까지 전국 이마트 100개 지점에 전기차 충전시설을 갖추겠다고 발표했다.
유통업체의 전기차 충전시설 유치는 이미 세계적인 트렌드로 이미 미국의 월마트, 월그린 등이 앞다투어 구상하고 있는 계획이다. 현 기술로 자동차 충전에 저속일 경우 3-4시간까지 걸리게 되는데, 전기차 소유자들이 이 시간을 어떻게 소비할지에 대해 마케팅 관점에서 다양한 방법들이 강구되고 있고, 쇼핑 또한 매우 매력적인 대안으로 떠오르고 있기 때문이다.
현재 한국, 아니 세계의 전기차 요람이 되고 싶어하는 제주도의 경우 관광지와 쇼핑센터들에 전기차 충전기가 설치되어있다.
한 전기차 업계 관계자는 “정 부회장이 EV 업계에 뛰어든 것은 훌륭한 선택이라고 하지 않을 수 없다. 아직은 초기 단계여서 가시적 성과를 내기 힘들 수는 있지만, 전기차가 자동차 업계의 미래 산업이라는 것은 아무도 부인할 수 없기 때문이다,”라고 전했다.
(코리아헤럴드 배지숙 기자)
<관련 영문기사>
Shinsegae heir’s very public love affair with Tesla
When Shinsegae Group vice chairman Chung Yong-jin bought himself a Tesla Model S last year, it seemed to make perfect sense given the trendsetting image of the entrepreneur, who is known for his youthful fashion style and easygoing manner, and for tweeting his thoughts to consumers.
Chung, son of Shinsegae chairwoman Lee Myung-hee and nephew of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, became the first individual to own a Tesla vehicle in Korea. Hyundai and Kia reportedly own two cars for research purposes.
The Tesla Model S is known to cost well over 100 million won ($92,700), equipped with an 85 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that can be driven 426 km per charge. Its energy consumption is rated at 237.5 watt-hours per kilometer for a combined fuel economy of 2.64 liter per 100 kilometers.
Chung is a well-known automobile enthusiast. His garage holds an assortment of high-end cars including a Mercedes Benz, BMW 760i and Ferrari. Tesla’s Model S was the latest addition to his collection.
Chung reportedly bought the electronic vehicle directly from a U.S. vendor because the brand has yet to launch in Korea.
For convenience’s sake, the 45-year-old has installed a fast-battery charging system at his home in Pangyo-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
Now, it looks like Chung’s purchase was more than a simple shopping spree.
E-mart, the discount chain owned by Shinsegae, on March 13 announced that about 100 of its outlets across the country would be facilitated with electronic vehicle battery charging stations by 2015.
Currently, a total of 10 E-marts, including one in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, have EV chargers. Shinsegae Department Store was also considering adopting the system, sources said.
Charging stations have already become a huge trend in the U.S., where Wal-Mart, Walgreen and other retailers are vying to install them to attract environmentally conscious customers.
An average EV needs 3-4 hours to fully recharge, which means that people need to spend a long period of time somewhere while their cars are charging and it is natural that many want to shop during the waiting time, experts say.
Currently, on Jejudo Island ― an area that’s serving as the government’s main arm for promoting electronic vehicles ― chargers are installed at large shopping malls and tourist attractions.
“It was a smart move for Chung to pick EV chargers. The industry is still in a budding stage, but given the government subsidies, it will surely become the next big thing in autos,” an EV industry insider said.
By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)
Shinsegae heir’s very public love affair with Tesla
When Shinsegae Group vice chairman Chung Yong-jin bought himself a Tesla Model S last year, it seemed to make perfect sense given the trendsetting image of the entrepreneur, who is known for his youthful fashion style and easygoing manner, and for tweeting his thoughts to consumers.
Chung, son of Shinsegae chairwoman Lee Myung-hee and nephew of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, became the first individual to own a Tesla vehicle in Korea. Hyundai and Kia reportedly own two cars for research purposes.
The Tesla Model S is known to cost well over 100 million won ($92,700), equipped with an 85 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that can be driven 426 km per charge. Its energy consumption is rated at 237.5 watt-hours per kilometer for a combined fuel economy of 2.64 liter per 100 kilometers.
Chung is a well-known automobile enthusiast. His garage holds an assortment of high-end cars including a Mercedes Benz, BMW 760i and Ferrari. Tesla’s Model S was the latest addition to his collection.
Chung reportedly bought the electronic vehicle directly from a U.S. vendor because the brand has yet to launch in Korea.
For convenience’s sake, the 45-year-old has installed a fast-battery charging system at his home in Pangyo-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
Now, it looks like Chung’s purchase was more than a simple shopping spree.
E-mart, the discount chain owned by Shinsegae, on March 13 announced that about 100 of its outlets across the country would be facilitated with electronic vehicle battery charging stations by 2015.
Currently, a total of 10 E-marts, including one in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, have EV chargers. Shinsegae Department Store was also considering adopting the system, sources said.
Charging stations have already become a huge trend in the U.S., where Wal-Mart, Walgreen and other retailers are vying to install them to attract environmentally conscious customers.
An average EV needs 3-4 hours to fully recharge, which means that people need to spend a long period of time somewhere while their cars are charging and it is natural that many want to shop during the waiting time, experts say.
Currently, on Jejudo Island ― an area that’s serving as the government’s main arm for promoting electronic vehicles ― chargers are installed at large shopping malls and tourist attractions.
“It was a smart move for Chung to pick EV chargers. The industry is still in a budding stage, but given the government subsidies, it will surely become the next big thing in autos,” an EV industry insider said.
By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)
