Hyundai Motor, Cisco to collaborate on connected car project
Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun, second from left, shakes hands with Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, third from left, in a conference room at Hyundai Motor’s headquarters in Yangjae, southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Hyundai Motor plans to collaborate with Cisco on the development of connected car technology.
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins discussed a roadmap for the two companies’ collaboration with Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Tuesday.
Robbins chose Korea for his first Asian destination after being appointed CEO of the leading IT and network security provider last July. This marks the first time in 12 years for a Cisco CEO to visit the country since former CEO John Chambers’ 2004 visit.
In the meeting, Chung and Robbins agreed to cooperate on basic research to analyze the flow of data and verify new technologies for connected cars. They also visited a local startup developing a simulated environment for testing the connected car technology, and discussed how startups would contribute to the project.
“Future connected cars will open new innovations in quality, safety and security, as never before. By expanding time and space, more safety will be guaranteed for our customers. Hyundai Motor will provide new value that goes beyond our customers’ expectations in safety, quality and security through cooperating with Cisco,” said Chung.
“This collaboration will be a chance to bring closer the Hyundai Motor-led future of connected cars and shift paradigms of new mobility.”
The world’s fifth-largest automaker announced earlier this month its plan to develop a connected car equipped with Internet access and connected to a wireless local area network to provide additional features.
The technology will not only speed up data transmission but also allow each subsystem inside the vehicle to communicate more effectively. This is essential to enabling connected cars that incorporate the increasingly complex transfer of ever-growing amounts of data in real time, a Hyundai official said.
“This is truly an exciting time to collaborate with Hyundai Motor,” said Robbins.
“Digital disruption into the automotive industry is being driven by technologies that are creating new user experiences, and our leadership in the areas of connected vehicles, security and large-scale communication technologies will be crucial to establishing an industry-leading platform. Cisco is honored to join efforts with Hyundai Motor on the connected car initiative and to play our part in the automotive industry’s evolution.”
Taking over the CEO post from his iconic predecessor John Chambers last year, Robbins has emphasized that future innovation will depend on “the application with the Internet of things.”
Experts said the company is collaborating with the automaker to expand its business sectors into Internet networking between common objects including cars.
Founded in 1984, Cisco has focused on developing network-related technologies through mergers and acquisitions and collaboration with local startups since 1990. Last year, the company’s sales reached 56 trillion won ($49.2 billion) with an operating profit of $9 billion.