LG Electronics on Thursday unveiled its new air purifier, the latest in its air care brand PuriCare lineup launched late last year.

The cylinder-shaped device quickly purifies air with its 360-degree air intake and a booster that creates a strong wind for faster cleaning process, the company said.

“We will expand our air purifier business into the US, China and Europe following the launch in Korea,” LG Electronics’ CEO Cho Seong-jin said at a launch event held at the company’s headquarters in Seoul.

The Korean tech giant said sales of its air purifier have more than doubled over the last year following the launch of its PuriCare brand. It did not disclose the sales figure. 


“Sales have especially risen in Taiwan -- alongside Korea -- apparently because of its unclear air due to many volcanos, as well as the increasing number of tech-savvy Taiwanese opting for Wi-Fi enabled devices,” an air solution business chief Lee Jae-sung said.

LG, which currently sells its air purifier in 15 nations mainly in Asia and the Middle East, plans to expand the business into 30 nations including the US and the Europe by 2018.

“The air purifier market has been growing in the US and Canada, which have cleaner air compared to Asia. This is believed to be driven by rising concerns over the air quality inside the house, compared to outside, due to the widespread culture of pet breeding and using rugs,” Cho said.

The global air purifier market has grown to $3.7 billion with 10 percent growth over the last three years, the company estimated. The largest sales came from China with $1.5 billion, followed by the US and Europe with $700 million.

The company plans to adopt a two-pronged marketing strategy with its air care brand PuriCare and its premium home appliances brand LG Signature.

“While LG Signature highlights the harmony of design and colors of appliances as a package, other LG premium lineups emphasize the features of individual products,” the CEO said.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)