SEOUL - Going to Seoul this weekend? You can make a detour to the biannual Seoul Motor Show. The event is the only South Korean one recognised by the International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, a global alliance of carmakers founded in Paris in 1919.

South Korea's two largest cities - Seoul and Busan - take turns to host the show each year. This year's affair runs through April 7, reported The Korea Herald.

Reflecting an industry-wide shift towards green and self-driving cars, carmakers will highlight how driven they are on sustainability and connectivity.

Hyundai, the nation's largest carmaker, has placed fuel-cell EV Nexo and Sonata Hybrid at the vanguard of its green vision.

While displaying the air-purifying capability of the Nexo, the company also touted the hybrid version of the eighth-generation Sonata sedan that deploys a solar roof, the first by a Korean carmaker.

To maximise fuel efficiency, the solar panel generates electricity and recharges the battery during daytime driving.

The Sonata hybrid is expected to get about 20 kilometres a litre.

Hyundai's sister company Kia has three concept cars - Mohave Masterpiece, SP Signature and Imagine - to support its ambition to dominate the sport utility vehicle segment.

Foreign brands have parked their models at the show too.

Under the slogan ,"Our Innovation Never Stops", Mercedes-Benz hopes to turn heads with the Vision EQ Silver Arrow, an electric racing car. It pays homage to the W125 Silver Arrow that set a worldwide speed record of 432.7kmh in 1938.

The German brand is also presenting the new A-Class, CLE and EQC.

Other importers are also lined up bumper to bumper to catch the eye of consumers.

Toyota is premiering its fifth-generation RAV4 in South Korea.

British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover is unveiling the Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic in a world premiere. It is also introducing the new Range Rover Evoke and Jaguar New XE for the first time in Asia.