Ola Electric names Hyundai veteran Yongsung Kim as global sales head

With 35 years at Hyundai Motor and Kia, Yongsung brings global auto sales experience from North America, Europe, UK, Middle East, Africa, ASEAN and Asia Pacific

Ola Electric, the ride-hailing firm's electric vehicle arm, said it has appointed  Yongsung Kim as head of global sales and distribution, overseeing India and international markets. A 35-year veteran with Hyundai Motor and Kia, Yongsung brings global automotive sales experience from around the world, including North America, Europe, UK, Middle East, Africa, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Asia Pacific. In  India he had spent several years, first with Hyundai Motor and then with Kia, to build their market-leading presence in India.

“I am excited to have Yongsung join our team at Ola Electric and look forward to collaborating with him as we launch our range of electric products around the world,” said Bhavish Aggarwal, chairman and group CEO, Ola. “His expertise in sales, distribution and service will be critical for our global expansion and for bringing our advanced, innovative electric products to our customers.”

In Ola Electric, Kim will lead both the domestic and international strategy for sales and go-to-market for Ola Electric as it gears up to launch its first electric scooter across India and multiple international markets including Europe and the UK, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

“I am very excited to join Ola Electric and its team to develop a winning strategy for India and global sales for its range of EV products, beginning with the Ola scooter,” said Kim. “With this new assignment, I also returned to India, where I had spent several years in the sales teams of Hyundai Motor and Kia, so it is doubly satisfying for me and a great opportunity to work together towards putting India on the world EV map.”

Ola’s upcoming electric two-wheeler is a leapfrog product that is packed with several in-house innovations including the motor, the battery as well as the vehicle computer - all designed by Ola. The company said its first electric scooter has best-in-class range and performance. The electric two-wheeler is priced aggressively to make it accessible to all and will help accelerate India’s transition to sustainable mobility.

The Ola Scooter has already won several prestigious awards including the IHS Markit Innovation award at CES and the German Design Award. The firm said it has industry-first smart features that reimagine the entire scooter experience for customers in India and around the world.

To manufacture the scooter, Ola is building the Ola FutureFactory at record speed, with its first phase expected to be operational this summer and the full factory ready by next year. Built over 500 acres, the 10-million annual capacity Ola Futurefactory’ will be the world’s largest two-wheeler factory, producing a vehicle every 2 seconds at full capacity. It will be the world’s most advanced with over 3000 robots powered by Ola’s proprietary AI and it will be the greenest with 100 acres of forest on-site and fully carbon-negative operations.