Dive Brief:
- Hyundai Motor Group last month revealed a roadmap to equip its vehicles with Level 2+ autonomous driving technology by 2027.
- The system will use data collected from cameras and radar on a vehicle to make complex decisions via “artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning decision structures,” the automaker said.
- Hyundai is also ramping up its automated vehicle foundry, with Uber announcing plans to expand robotaxi services through the initiative. Originally launched in 2024, the foundry supplies vehicles capable of autonomous driving features to global autonomous driving companies.
Dive Insight:
By pursuing Level 2+ functionality in its vehicles, Hyundai is building on its efforts to increase automation within its driving systems.
SAE International does not explicitly define Level 2+ within its six categories of autonomous driving types; however, the automotive engineering association has acknowledged the rise of industry usage of the “Level 2+” designation.
Level 2+ ties together “‘semi-automated’ technologies and more pragmatic expectations,” the group wrote in a 2020 article, noting that cost constraints as well as the complexity of moving from Level 2 to Level 3 encourages automakers to focus on a level between the two.
In October 2024, Hyundai announced a partnership with Waymo to engineer the automaker’s all-electric IONIQ 5 SUV with the robotaxi company’s autonomous driving system — which can operate at SAE Level 4 in limited areas.
To further prepare for the era of software-defined vehicles, Hyundai and Kia Corp. established a new advanced vehicle platform division last year. The new platform consolidates the automakers’ software-defined vehicle division with its mobility engineering and technology acceleration technology and vehicle software technology units.
The companies also restructured their research and development division in 2024, noting that the R&D and advanced vehicle units were “key pillars” that will lead “future mobility innovations, from hardware to software and innovation to global deployment.”
Hyundai announced its Level 2+ autonomous driving goals during the launch of its Pleos software brand, further underscoring the company’s focus on software-defined vehicles.
