Hyundai's Next Act: Raising Its Autonomous Driving Game

"What you are not getting is something that will let you take your hands off the wheel during a long highway road trip, or handle complex city streets, traffic lights, and turns under human supervision. And considering the scope of the Korean automaker's technology ambitions, that is becoming a major challenge. Keeping up with the likes of Tesla, Waymo and General Motors' Super Cruise is about to be a major focus at Hyundai, according to multiple recent news reports."

"The Korea Herald reports that Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung visited the company's Korean autonomy subsidiary, called 42dot, earlier this week, and took a test ride in an autonomous Hyundai Ioniq 6. That prototype is said to use an end-to-end autonomous driving system, meaning it takes raw sensor data from cameras, lidar, radar, and so on, then uses that data to train a singular AI to operate the vehicle."

"42dot was acquired by Hyundai in 2022, but its chief Song Chang-hyeonwho also led the automaker's Advanced Vehicle Platform divisionstepped down recently. News reports from Korea said that his departure may be tied to the group's limited progress in self-driving tech. Besides well-known players like Waymo, Hyundai also has to contend with AV newcomers from China, many of whom are quickly making inroads into the rest of the world, just as they are with passenger cars."

Hyundai Motor Group electric vehicles deliver long range, distinctive styling, strong performance, and fast charging. The vehicles lack robust hands-free capabilities for long highway trips and cannot reliably manage complex urban scenarios like traffic lights, turns, and dense city streets under supervision. Executive Chair Euisun Chung visited 42dot and rode an autonomous Ioniq 6 prototype that reportedly uses an end-to-end system training one AI on raw sensor inputs from cameras, lidar, and radar. 42dot was acquired in 2022; its chief recently stepped down amid reports linking the departure to limited self-driving progress while Hyundai competes with Tesla, Waymo, GM Super Cruise, and expanding Chinese AV firms.

Read at insideevs.com