LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company today presented its future mobility roadmap at CES 2019, highlighting its strategy to materialize freedom in mobility for customers. Hyundai's vision is based on three key areas: developments in 「Open Innovation」, the company's electric vehicle (EV) strategy, and its strategy to gain global leadership in connected mobility. The vision aims to provide a curated future lifestyle to customers in a society where all aspects of life are connected to mobility for a true Car-to-Life experience.
'Style Set Free', Hyundai's new personalized vehicle design concept, is based on future developments of autonomous driving and allows users to fully customize and upgrade their driving environment to suit their lifestyle.
Hyundai will leverage data generated from smart vehicles to launch an open ecosystem that enables a host of ICT subsystems to create a structural flow of public data transmission between vehicles and the environment in which vehicles operate. This will facilitate the widespread adoption of connected cars, further cementing Hyundai's role as a leader in the future mobility field.
The Hyundai CRADLE, a hub for corporate venturing and innovation business, takes on the responsibility for securing Hyundai's vision of a cleaner and more integrated answer to transportation. To expedite these ambitions, Hyundai has made investments in more than 30 promising companies such as WayRay and Perceptive Automata over the past year.
As part of its 「Open Innovation」 plan, Hyundai today unveiled the design concept and prototype of the Hyundai 'Elevate' Walking Car. This innovative concept will redefine the common perception of vehicular mobility with its ability to traverse previously inaccessible terrain using its four, highly dexterous moveable legs. Hyundai also presented its future roadmap for expanding its competitiveness in AI technology through the establishment of dedicated research centers and partnerships with companies worldwide.
"With our technological advancements, Hyundai will be a dedicated automaker of a future mobility lifestyle that is customizable for each individual customer," said Albert Biermann, President and Head of Research & Development Division of Hyundai Motor Group. "The concept 'Design Your Own World' is Hyundai's answer to how we should empower customers to curate their desired vehicle environment."
'Style Set Free': Personalized EVs for everyone
Hyundai believes that personalized vehicles are not a luxury but a necessity for customer lifestyles in the age of autonomous driving technology. The 'Style Set Free' concept begins from this belief, aiming to personalize the vehicle space for every customer. This concept allows customers the freedom to select initial software as well as hardware of their vehicles and equip upgrades according to specific needs.
Under its updated EV strategy, Hyundai will introduce EVs built on a new and dedicated platform named 'E-GMP which will be able to satisfy the needs of its unique customers. The platform, currently under development, incorporates the world's first integrated drive axel technology, IDA (Integrated Drive Axel), to provide a quieter and more stable driving experience.
"The dedicated electric vehicle models will offer customizable features, allowing drivers to alter the space and configuration of vehicles more efficiently than vehicles that are derived from traditional internal combustion architecture," said Wonhong Cho, Executive Vice President of Hyundai Motor's Customer and Marketing Division. "With our state-of-the-art 'Style Set Free' design concept, Hyundai Motor tries to provide a whole new experience to consumers with different lifestyles and needs, going beyond just the autonomous driving technology itself."
Global leadership in connected cars
The car is not an isolated, single purpose machine anymore, and Hyundai has taken into consideration the fact that there are variables that cannot be predicted. Hyundai believes that connected car technology should be deployed to every car so that each individual driver can enjoy a safe and convenient automobile lifestyle. Hyundai mapped out its details to provide customer-oriented solutions that can positively impact their lifestyles with connected car technology.
That's where the innovative connected car technology is manifested. By collecting zettabytes of data from around the world, Hyundai is able to enhance the driving experience for customers and ensure their safety by providing real-time alerts regarding road conditions and weather updates.
Hyundai's connected car technology will allow external connectivity for customers of the future. The introduction of an open platform will allow the ideas of third parties to become involved, by leveraging publicly available vehicle data provided by Hyundai.
"We aim to have 10 million active connectivity users globally and apply connected car technology to all vehicle segments in the global market by early 2022," said Jungsik Suh, Senior Vice President of Hyundai Motor Group's ICT Division. "Hyundai not only strives to become the number one provider of connected cars globally, but to also provide connected car services that surpass the current range of services through an open platform, paving the way to embody our concept of 'transcend connectivity.'"
Expanding 「Open Innovation」 efforts
To provide its customers with even more convenience and safety features to fit their needs, Hyundai will strategically invest in AI projects to foster collaboration with third-parties as well as engage in the active encouragement and support of startups that share the company vision.
Hyundai's core fundamental connected-car infrastructure can be transformed in a multitude of ways by brilliant innovators from various industries. Hyundai CRADLE is on the lookout for disruptive innovations with startups to achieve its vision of future mobility. Its partnership with WayRay for developing AR navigation systems is a prime example of this.
At CES 2019, Hyundai CRADLE is presenting a totally new vehicle concept that combines the power of robotics and EV technology to take people where no vehicle has been before. The quadrupedal Hyundai 'Elevate' will redefine the boundaries and perceptions of vehicular mobility. Its four highly dexterous and movable legs can be utilized in ways beyond the imagination to allow Hyundai's inception of a new vehicle category – The Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (UMV).
As part of its ambition to utilize advanced AI technology to expand its global AI research network, Hyundai Motor Group has established an AI Research Lab (AIR Lab) in Korea, and an AI Research Center (AIR Center) in the U.S. as dedicated organizations for AI research and development. The two facilities will focus on AI-related research in computer vision and machine learning, which are essential elements for further development in autonomous driving and robotics technology.
Moreover, Hyundai Motor Group aims to reinforce its AI technology competitiveness through partnerships with prospective academic institutions and startups worldwide. Hyundai recently signed a research and development MOU in cooperation with Seoul National University and start a full-scale operation in learning-based automatic detection and video question-answering technology from 2019. The company also seeks to expand its network of partnerships in diverse types of entities, such as Technion in Israel, DeepGlint in China, and many research institutes and labs in the U.S. and China, for the development of next-generation AI technologies that can be applied to areas in the automotive industry and beyond.
'Design Your Own World': Interactive booth at CES 2019
Hyundai's exhibition booth with a simple and clean, future-oriented design enables visitors to encounter Hyundai's vision of future mobility in a three-dimensional way. The booth consists of a large LED wall screen that allows one to indirectly experience diverse future lifestyle scenarios.
The booth entices revelers with a future-oriented cocoon-shaped cockpit that provides imagery of in-car experiences that will be enabled by further development of vehicle electrification and autonomous driving. Those inside the cocoon will be able to select an array of futuristic in-car experiences such as, studying, exercising, working and shopping – that best fit their individual needs and lifestyles. The digital clips illustrated by the main projection will provide customized future mobility experiences in a sophisticated atmosphere.
All of Hyundai's latest advancements are showcased at Hyundai's press conference on January 7, and can be experienced at booth #6329 Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall, from January 8 to 11, 2019.
About Hyundai Motor Company
Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is committed to becoming a lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond with its range of world-class vehicles and mobility services offered available in more than 200 countries. Employing more than 110,000 employees worldwide, Hyundai sold more than 4.5 million vehicles globally. Hyundai Motor continues to enhance its product line-up with vehicles that are helping to build solutions for a more sustainable future, such as NEXO – the world's first dedicated hydrogen-powered SUV.
More information about Hyundai Motor Company and its products can be found at:
http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://globalpr.hyundai.com
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SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company
