José Muñoz, president of Hyundai Motor, said "Autonomous Driving is not the future but the present," and noted that through Hyundai Motor Group's Autonomous Driving joint venture, Motional, the company will expand its robotaxi business across the United States. On deploying Boston Dynamics' Humanoid Robot "Atlas" to production lines, he said it is "not a means to cut jobs, but to make workers' lives easier."
On the 14th, local time, Muñoz took the stage as a speaker for the future mobility track session at "2026 Semafor World Economy" in Washington, D.C. Hosted by the U.S. global digital news platform Semafor, the event brings together key CEOs of the world's 500 largest corporations and public- and private-sector global leaders from various countries.
That day, Muñoz said, "Autonomous Driving is not the future but the present," adding, "Even now, you can ride Waymo vehicles in San Francisco and Motional robotaxis based on the Ioniq 5 in Las Vegas, and going forward you will be able to see Ioniq 5 autonomous vehicles across the United States."
He continued, "Hyundai Motor Group will also deploy its proprietary technology at scale through Motional," stressing that "more Autonomous Driving technologies will be equipped in personal vehicles going forward."
On future urban mobility infrastructure, Muñoz predicted, "In the future, buildings and vehicles will talk to each other, and vehicles will also communicate with one another, which will ultimately reduce traffic congestion." He also said that, in addition to conventional vehicles, electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology and drones will become commonplace.
He also offered his view on AI and Robotics technologies. He said, "Hyundai Motor Group pursues 'progress for humanity' with safety and quality as the highest values," adding, "By deploying Boston Dynamics' Atlas on production lines, you will see humanoids that help with tasks difficult for humans."
Muñoz emphasized, "We do not see robots as a means of job cuts; robots are to make workers' lives easier." He then presented an AI vision, saying, "What we aim to achieve through 'physical AI' is to raise productivity, lower expense, and improve quality."
That day, Muñoz cited promptly delivering what customers want as one of Hyundai Motor Group's success factors. He said, "We have pursued a strategy of running internal combustion, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles in parallel."
He went on, "On that basis, we also decided to produce hybrids in parallel at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), which broke ground last year," adding, "Initially we were focused on electrification, but this is a case of rapidly shifting strategy in line with changing consumer demand."
Muñoz also stressed the importance of hydrogen. He said, "With the rapid advances in hydrogen technology, the stack efficiency and performance of hydrogen electric vehicles have improved, and operating expense has decreased," adding, "HMGMA logistics actually uses hydrogen electric trucks."
Muñoz said, "Hydrogen is a perfectly eco-friendly energy and the most abundant resource on Earth, and it can be used for various purposes," adding, "We need to overcome unfounded fears about hydrogen and ensure it is used in ground, air, and sea transportation."