Hyundai Motor Group targets hands-free urban driving by 2029
Park Min-woo, president and head of the AVP Division and CEO of 42dot, speaks during Hyundai Motor Group's autonomous driving media day in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor
Group plans Nvidia-powered vehicles from 2028 while developing its own system
Hyundai Motor Group plans to start mass-producing vehicles capable of hands-free autonomous driving in urban areas in the second half of 2029, while launching vehicles using Nvidia’s validated autonomous driving technology a year earlier.
The group unveiled the road map Friday during an autonomous driving media day at the headquarters of 42dot, its autonomous driving software subsidiary in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
The strategy centers on a two-track approach: using Nvidia’s technology to accelerate commercialization while developing its own autonomous driving system to secure long-term technological independence.
The group plans to apply Nvidia’s vehicle AI computing platform and autonomous driving software to Level 2+ vehicles in the first half of 2028 and Level 2++ vehicles in the second half. Level 2+ allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on highways, while Level 2++ extends hands-free driving to urban roads.
At the same time, the group is advancing Atria AI, its proprietary end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving system jointly developed by its Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division and 42dot. It aims to mass-produce Atria AI-powered Level 2++ vehicles in the second half of 2029.
A key part of the strategy is the group’s newly activated Data Flywheel, which creates a continuous cycle of data collection, AI training, validation and deployment. Hyundai Motor and Kia sell more than 7 million vehicles annually across about 190 countries, providing a potential large-scale source of real-world driving data.
The group currently operates about 40 dedicated data-collection vehicles and is standardizing sensor systems across Hyundai Motor, Kia, 42dot and Motional around Nvidia’s DRIVE Hyperion 10 architecture to improve data collection and utilization.
“Competitiveness is determined by how much data you secure, how quickly you learn and how effectively you can reflect those results in actual products and services,” said Park Min-woo, president and head of the AVP Division and CEO of 42dot.
42dot is also developing vision-language-action (VLA) models alongside its E2E technology. The company is currently validating the VLA technology through simulations and plans to begin real-vehicle testing late this year through early next year.
The group plans to conduct a real-world Level 4 autonomous driving pilot in Gwangju by the end of this year in partnership with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, using the resulting data to further train and validate its AI systems.
The group is seeking to narrow the gap with U.S. and Chinese autonomous driving leaders. Tesla is estimated to have accumulated about 7 billion miles of real-road driving data as of the end of last year, while Waymo and Baidu had accumulated about 160 million kilometers and 110 million kilometers, respectively, by the middle of last year. Hyundai Motor Group did not disclose its cumulative data.
Hyundai Motor Group's autonomous driving test vehicles are displayed at 42dot's office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor
“Once mass production of autonomous driving systems begins in earnest, we could surpass the amount of data accumulated by competitors within five years,” said Jeong Seong-gyun, a group lead at 42dot’s Atria Division.
Park said the group could potentially move faster but deliberately set the 2029 target to avoid rushing an immature system.
“The 2029 timeline is a strategic choice to focus on our North Star while using Nvidia’s technology for mass production starting in 2028,” he said.