BERLIN ― A top executive at Samsung Electronics said Thursday that the electronics giant would lead the consumer electronics market through its premium strategy and widen the gap with rivals.

“Samsung will make relentless efforts in incorporating philosophies and values in products and share them with consumers,” said Yoon Boo-keun, president of consumer electronics at Samsung Electronics, at a press conference held ahead of the opening of IFA 2013 in Berlin on Friday.

“Samsung will make products which consumers desire to have, and create, cultivate and settle a market through a premium strategy.”

Samsung’s TV business is maintaining the top position in Europe ― with its sales double that of the No. 2 player ― and securing top market share in around 50 nations, he added.

Samsung has been doing business in Europe for more than 30 years, employing 15,000 workers there. Six in 10 TVs sold in Europe last year were made by Samsung, according to the company.

However, the Korean tech giant has not been able to take the lead in the West, mostly due to consumers’ preference for homegrown brands. Miele, a German maker of home appliances, claimed at a pre-IFA event that Samsung would never make it to the top.

“Samsung will soon be able to catch up with Whirlpool Corp., the world’s largest consumer electronics firm by sales,” said a Samsung official at the press meeting.

The United States firm leads the home appliances market with annual sales of $18 billion in 2012, while Samsung earned around $12 billion in sales in the same year ― a gap that a Samsung official claimed it could overcome without much difficulty.

Yoon also pledged that Samsung would secure the top position in the global TV market for the eighth consecutive year this year and become the world’s largest consumer electronics company by 2015.

Regarding rumors of soured relations with world-renowned designer Chris Bangle, Yoon said there were no problems between Samsung and the former chief of design for BMW Group.

“We are still maintaining very close relations. Samsung is learning a lot from him and expects that he will contribute to the firm in many ways,” Yoon said.

Since 2011, Samsung has collaborated on designing consumer electronics with Bangle.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics unveiled the world’s first 65- and 55-inch curved-screen UHD TVs earlier in the day, solidifying its leadership in the UHD TV market.

The curved-screen UHD TV is the latest in Samsung’s UHD TV lineup, following the 110-, 98-, 85-, 65- and 55-inch models.

The curved UHD TV also follows the company’s recent release of the curved OLED TV that launched worldwide including in South Korea and the U.S. after it was initially unveiled at CES 2013 in January.

By Kim Young-won, Korea Herald correspondent
(wone0102@heraldcorp.com)