Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon of Hyundai Motor Group on the 4th emphasized that the core strategy is to internalize next-generation full Autonomous Driving technology rather than the autonomous functions currently in commercial use.
Meeting with reporters that day at Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, Jang said, "While there is still a gap to general FSD (full self-driving) and commercialization, securing and internalizing the technology is the track we should follow," adding, "Motional is not yet at Waymo's level, but it is building a robo-taxi that can do that." Motional is a company established with investments of $2 billion (about 2.8 trillion won) each from Hyundai Motor Group and U.S. autonomous driving startup Aptiv.
Jang stressed, "Looking at the trend, it is important to prepare in advance for what comes next, like FSD or software-defined vehicles (SDV), so we can leap ahead of others." It effectively reiterated the group's direction on Autonomous Driving. Recently, concerns were raised that momentum for SDV could weaken after Song Chang-hyun, head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) and CEO of 42dot, formally resigned.
Jang said the entire group should move toward energy, including hydrogen, and artificial intelligence (AI). He said, "The (existing) Hyundai Motor Group is vertically integrated around automobiles, but to go further, energy and AI seem to be the right directions," adding, "We see the overall organizational direction that way, and the speed of execution and the level of technical completeness will be important." He continued, "What matters most is how we become a differentiated 'top tier,' so next year we should focus on building and executing such strategies."
Jang also mentioned that Hyundai Motor is collaborating with General Motors (GM) and Toyota in the hydrogen field. He said, "We are discussing batteries and hydrogen fuel cells (with GM), but there are differences in technical interpretation, so it may take a bit more time," adding, "We will also talk about data aspects and technology sharing." With Toyota, he added, "We are collaborating in many practical areas, such as technically discussing tank standards and safety criteria and explaining them to policymakers."