Currently reading: Hyundai Motor Group details huge £11 billion software ramp-up

New operating system and platforms inbound in push to boost vehicles' functionality, value, capability and intelligence

The Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) will tap into significant new revenue streams and greatly enhance the functionality of its global vehicle fleet with a new Connected Car Operating System (CCOS), modular EV platforms and advanced autonomous features.

It's part of the Korean giant's push to "transform all vehicles to software-defined vehicles (SDVs)" by 2025, detailed as part of a presentation outlining the group's shift in focus to the digital capabilities of its fleet. 

By 2030, the group has pledged to invest the equivalent of £11 billion in its digital transformation strategy, which will include the establishment of a dedicated Global Software Centre - home to the development of all new digital functions. It will hire "some of the world's best software developers and develop devices and services that prioritize UX to bring new experiences to the mobility market".

The company expects 20 million vehicles worldwide to be registered to the CCOS – being developed in partnership with Nvidia – by 2025, enabling "cutting-edge telecommunication features" that "will create unprecedented value and possibilities and provide customers personalised services, such as software subscriptions".

A key tenet of this initiative is that, ultimately, all Hyundai, Kia and Genesis vehicles (combustion and electric) will be kept constantly up to date with the latest group technology, courtesy of standard over-the-air connectivity functions, by 2025. 

This doesn't just have implications for safety and convenience but also allows customers to remotely boost the performance of their cars – similar to a recent upgrade for the Polestar 2 that boosted power from 402bhp to 469bhp. Plus, the company highlights the inherent boost in residual values that comes from adding new technology to older vehicles.

As early as next year, Hyundai Motor Group will start offering features on demand (FoD) via the infotainment interface of its vehicles, allowing customers to activate functions as and when they are needed - thereby standardising vehicle production processes and generating significant new revenues post-purchase.

Beyond the user experience, however, the CCOS will also play a core role in the operation of Hyundai Motor Group's new purpose-built vehicles (PBV), self-driving taxis and even 'advanced air mobility' full-sized drones. It will facilitate data capture from these vehicle fleets and allow the manufacturer to work more closely with operator clients to streamline logistics.

Another beneficiary of this data gathered will be the company's autonomous-technology development division, which can use information from vehicle cameras, radars and lidars to advance development of self-driving technology.

A significant step in this area will come later this year, with the introduction of a new assisted motorway driving function on the Genesis G90 saloon, which will be the first Level 3 function introduced to an HMG product. 

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HMG also wants to standardise vehicle hardware and will introduce two new modular EV platforms in 2025, known as eM and eS. 

The eM platform – designed for vehicles in all segments – promises a 50% increase in range compared to today's E-GMP platform and will arrive with the capacity for Level 3 autonomous functionality.

The eS platform, meanwhile, is devised for purpose-built vehicles and will be adaptable to suit a wide range of professions and business sectors. 

Unlike today's architectures, these platforms will feature universal battery and motor components across the board to allow the group to "efficiently" expand its portfolio. 

Chung Kook Park, who heads up HMG's R&D division, said: "“Our holistic approach will empower Hyundai Motor Group to lead the transformation in the mobility paradigm.

As we take these technological innovations from imagination to reality, Hyundai Motor Group will unlock the future potential of the car and open up new possibilities to rewrite the customer experience and deliver a new way of life, abundant with meaning and value.”

Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: Deputy editor

Felix is Autocar's deputy editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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