Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, on the 5th emphasized a "spirit of challenge" as Kia's vision going forward on its 80th anniversary. It is seen as a sign of his intent to carry on the spirit of challenge from founder Kim Cheol-ho, who took on everything from bicycles to four-wheeled vehicles, as well as from founding chairman Chung Ju-yung and honorary chairman Chung Mong-koo.
After Kia's 80th anniversary ceremony ended that day, Chairman Chung Eui-sun met with reporters and said, "Since we have had many ups and downs from the past, it seems right to say that the path Kia should take is challenge," adding, "Challenge is something we have always done, and we will continue to take on challenges and carry on the thoughts of the founder and the honorary chairman."
Chairman Chung took office as Kia's president and CEO in 2005 and led Kia for five years. At the time, Chung saw issues at Kia such as loss of foundation, loss of differentiation, and loss of drive, and he rolled out the slogan of "design management," overhauled the K series lineup including the K7, and turned Kia into a profitable company.
Chung said, "Kia is an unrefined diamond," emphasizing, "It is fundamentally strong with a clear character, and if polished well, it has the nature to be reborn as a very fine gem." He added, "We plan to proceed by taking cues from what (Kia) did well in the past and from what it made mistakes on."
Chung also addressed Autonomous Driving technology, which has heated up with Tesla's full self-driving (FSD) and General Motors' (GM) Super Cruise.
He said, "Hyundai Motor Group is somewhat on the late side, and Chinese companies and Tesla are doing well," adding, "Motional is working hard in the United States as well, but there may be a slight gap." He continued, "But more important than that gap is safety, so we are thinking of putting our focus on safety."
Hyundai Motor Group plans to unveil a software-defined vehicle (SDV) pace car (test vehicle) by mid next year and apply Level 2-plus Autonomous Driving technology to mass-production models starting in 2027.