April 20, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor Group said it plans to apply semi-autonomous technology, mainly active safety features, in all its compact cars. 

“Active safety is our top priority in autonomous car development,” said Lee Jin-woo at a forum in Seoul on May 16. 

Lee heads Hyundai’s newly established Intelligent Safety Technology Center -- a combined research body for Hyundai Motor and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors -- that focuses on artificial intelligence based driverless car technologies. 

“Safety is for everyone. We will equip such features in not only luxury cars but also low-end compact vehicles.”

Active safety technology, which helps prevent car crashes, includes autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance system and advanced smart cruise control, among others. 

The auto group has added the autonomous emergency braking system -- which was introduced in luxury Genesis cars from 2013 -- in its latest i30 hatchback and Kia’s new Morning compact car. 

Lee also hinted at a possible partnership with competitors to speed up Hyundai’s autonomous drive. 

“Development of autonomous car cannot be done by one company alone,” Lee said. “We are ready to partner with academia, government, as well as competitors and suppliers,” he said.

Lee added that Hyundai Motor will announce its autonomous development roadmap that stretches up to 2030, sometime in the first half of this year, and share it with affiliates and suppliers.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)