Best Auto Companies in South Korea
The 351 best Auto companies in South Korea in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: GM Korea.
South Korea's Auto sector has $1.3 billion in disclosed funding spread across 351 tracked companies, and the distribution is anything but even. Gm Korea sits at $750M, Hanon Systems at $248M — together they account for the overwhelming bulk of capital before you even reach Hey Dealer's $98M. That's the shape of this market: a steep cliff, then a long tail. No unicorns yet, but the concentration at the top tells you where institutional conviction actually lives. Korea Investment Holdings, Shinhan Venture Investment, and Strong Ventures are the names showing up most, which I'd read as a signal that domestic smart money is staying close.
The momentum underneath is real. Median install growth across automotive and related apps is running at roughly +22% year-on-year across 552 tracked apps, and coverage of vehicle sales forecasts and autonomous vehicle themes keeps climbing. So what does that mean for the companies further down this list? Probably more pressure to differentiate on fundamentals. Middle-income consumers shifting toward used cars is reshaping demand signals globally, and platforms like Chexcar and Hey Dealer are sitting right at that intersection. The directory below ranks these Auto companies in South Korea by disclosed equity funding and recent funding momentum — the clearest lens we have on where capital is actually going.
- Auto industry sales satisfaction declines for the first time in eight
Our analysis of 256 Auto companies
$29.3b in tracked funding; 77% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2021.
Ranked: Best Auto companies in South Korea
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | App-install YoY | Market signals (1y) | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aconl Company Luxl Co Ltd formerly known as Aconl Co Ltd operates in the auto part industry in South Korea. | — | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Actro Actro Co Ltd is a Korean company engaged in manufacturing Optical Image Stabilizer and Voice Coil Motor. | — | — | 51 | — | PHPApache HTTP ServerjQuery | — | — | 36 patents Precision metrology for camera lens assembly and optical component alignment | — |
| 3 | AFW Manufacturer and supplier of automotive parts | — | — | 55 | Jin Jung CEO | YouTubeMicrosoft ASP.NETfullPage.js+4 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | AIC Manufacturer and supplier of automotive components to OEMs | — | — | — | Choi Joon Kook CEO & President | — | — | — | 7 patents Induction-compatible cookware design and manufacturing processes for electric cooking ranges | — |
| 5 | AJ Selfie Online used car distributor | — | — | — | Jin-soo Ahn CEO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Ajin Industry Manufacturer and supplier of major auto components | — | — | — | Jung Ho Seo CEO | GnuboardMySQLPHP+8 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Alloy commercial wheel Manufacturer and supplier of alloy wheels | — | — | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Almac ALMAC Co Ltd engages in specializing in aluminum extrusion. | — | — | 143 | — | GnuboardMySQLPHP+11 | — | — | 9 patents Design and manufacturing of EV battery module casings and related metal forming processes | — |
Top 12 Auto companies in South Korea
#1
Acquired · Daejeon, Daejeon · founded 1986 · 313 employees$247.9Mraised▾
Hanon Systems (fka Halla Visteon Climate Control Corporation) manufactures climate control systems for automobile applications. Their thermal management solutions include heating ventilation and air conditioning; compressors; powertrain cooling; fluid transport; and electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicle thermal systems. It has 40 manufacturing sites supported by four global technical centers in 19 countries.
#2
Series D · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2014 · 75 employees$97.9Mraised▾
App-driven and auction-based C2B car selling platform. Users can sell the cars on an auction-based system to dealers through the platform. Sellers should provide car details, owner details, expected price range, and more for selling the car. Their app is available for both Android and iOS devices.
- Feb 2024Series D$33.6M
- Dec 2021Series C$33.6M
- Jul 2019Series B$25.4M
- Jul 2016Series A$4.5M
#3
Series B · Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do · founded 2017 · 28 employees$8.2Mraised▾
CHEXCAR is a used-car inspection company that offers a one-stop solution for used car buyers. The company's platform provides a comprehensive inspection report and certification, which helps to reduce the risk of buying a used car. CHEXCAR aims to revolutionize the used car market by providing transparency and efficiency in the buying process.
- Sep 2024Series B$5.2M
- Aug 2021Series A—
#4
Series A · Yongin si, Gyeonggi do · founded 2020 · 19 employees$3.9Mraised▾
Manufacturer of high-quality aerodynamic body kits, specializing in carbon fiber front lips, side skirts, and other accessories for various car models, including BMW, Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ, and Tesla Model 3. They offer a wide selection of aftermarket body kits to enhance the sportiness and style of cars.
- Jul 2024Series A$3.9M
#5
Series D · Incheon, Incheon · founded 2002 · 12000 employees$750Mraised▾
Automotive manufacturing company
#6
Seed · Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do · founded 2023$747.4Kraised▾
Manufacturer of motors for electric vehicles. The company develops non-permanent magnet synchronous motor, magnetic powder, and more.
- Nov 2024Seed$640.1K
- Jan 2024Seed$747.4K
#7
Acquired · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2000 · 70000 employees$126Mraised▾
SK Encar is an online used car listing platform. Claims to list more than 1 million cars as of August 2015. Claims to attract around 400,000 unique visitors per day on its online and mobile sites. Also has an inbuilt mobile and web auction system that allows users to participate in bids for used cars. Carsales.com purchased a 49.9% stake in SK Encar for $126M in 2014.
- Mar 2014PE$126M
#8
Series A · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2017 · 11 employees$2.2Mraised▾
Developer of electric vehicle conversion kits for trucks. The platform offers electric motors, batteries, controllers, chargers, and more.
- Feb 2024Series A$2.2M
#9
Late Stage · Sangju si, North Gyeongsang Province · founded 1995$58Mraised▾
CAP Corporation is a manufacturer and supplier of wipers. Manufactures wiper blades, wiper arms and linkages for automobiles.
- May 2010PE$58M
#10
Series A · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2015 · 55 employees$9.6Mraised▾
App that provides an auction-based marketplace for new cars. Buyers can configure a car of their choice & submit a request for price quotations. The platform shares the buyer's information with its dealership network, collects multiple price quotes, and provides users with the best available offer in real-time. Agreeing with the offer, buyers can deposit a down payment and schedule a pickup/delivery of their vehicle. The app is available for both Android & iOS devices.
- Apr 2022Series A$2.9M
- Oct 2021Series A$6.7M
#11
Series A · Yongin si, Gyeonggi do · founded 2020$2.3Mraised▾
Provider of online marketplace for buying and selling cars
#12
Series A · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2014 · 32 employees$2.6Mraised▾
Mr Pic provides services to car buyers and sellers looking to buy or sell cars online. It offers three services to its users including a service to buy inspected pre-owned cars from certified dealerships, selling used cars to the dealerships through auctions, and a car information service to provide accurate used car price to consumers and dealers through national used car price analysis statistics.
- Nov 2015Series A$1.3M
- Jul 2015Series A$1.3M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Auto coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Autonomous Vehicles is moving in South Korea
A read on the academic research around Autonomous Vehicles — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 684 South Korea-affiliated papers.
- Chang'an University96
- Hanyang University45
- Seoul National University43
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology38
- Sungkyunkwan University31
- Real-time computing1→10
- Motion planning1→10
- Segmentation1→8
- Path (computing)1→8
- Advanced driver assistance systems1→4
- Computer vision3→29
- Human–computer interaction1→22
- Control theory (sociology)5→25
- Transport engineering1→21
- Path (computing)4→18
- Humanities7
- Context (archaeology)7
- Transport engineering6
- Perception5
- Software deployment4
Where autonomous vehicles is researched across South Korea
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Who's filing autonomous vehicles patents in South Korea
South Korea autonomous vehicles patent filing is accelerating — 4,507 filings from 1,070 assignees (2016–2025), led by Hyundai, KIA, LG Electronics; annual filings 61→722.
- Hyundai1327
- KIA726
- LG Electronics370
- KIA Motors310
- Samsung211
- Stradvision184
- Electronics & Telecommunications162
- Korea Automotive TECH INST61
Common questions
Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.