Hyundai Motor to Establish 'Largest Domestic' Driving Center... Opening in First Half of 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Hyundai Motor Group is building the largest 'Hyundai Motor Group Driving Experience Center (HMG Driving Experience Center)' in South Korea. The driving center is a complex cultural space equipped with a dedicated track and experience facilities.

On the 17th, Hyundai Motor Group announced that it will build the Hyundai Motor Group Driving Experience Center within the advanced driving test site currently under construction by Hankook Tire & Technology (hereinafter Hankook Tire) in Taean Industrial Complex, Taean-gun, Chungnam Province.

On the same day, Hyundai Motor Group held a signing ceremony for a mutual cooperation agreement to build the Hyundai Motor Group Driving Experience Center with Hankook Technology Group, the holding company of Hankook Tire & Technology, at the Yangjae office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

The signing ceremony was attended by Chung Euisun, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, Cho Hyun-sik, Vice Chairman of Hankook Technology Group, Thomas Schimiera, Vice President and Head of Hyundai-Kia Product Division, Lee Soo-il, President of Hankook Tire & Technology, and other officials from both companies.

The Driving Experience Center will not only use the main facilities of the driving test site to provide dynamic driving experiences but will also add driving experience facilities specialized for customer experience and a customer-exclusive building, scheduled to open in the first half of 2022.

Currently, there are two driving centers in South Korea. Since BMW Korea first introduced the 'Yeongjongdo Driving Center' in 2014, Mercedes-Benz Korea also established a customer experience space at the Yongin Speedway in 2018. Especially, the BMW Yeongjongdo Driving Center is very popular, attracting more than 200,000 visitors annually.

The Hankook Tire & Technology Taean Driving Test Site covers an area of 1.26 million m2 (about 380,000 pyeong), equivalent to approximately 176 soccer fields, and features a high-speed circuit with a total length of 4.6 km along with various test roads with different surfaces.

The Hyundai Motor Group Driving Experience Center will use almost all the test roads of the Hankook Tire & Technology driving test site, plus additional driving experience facilities constructed by Hyundai Motor Group and a two-story, 9,602 m2 (about 2,905 pyeong) customer-exclusive building, making it the largest driving experience center in South Korea.

The driving experience facilities consist of a total of eight courses, including four experience tracks and four experience zones.

The eight driving experience courses include ▲Emergency braking experience track ▲Harsh condition dry surface handling experience track ▲Wet surface handling experience track ▲High-speed driving track ▲Multi-dynamic zone for gymkhana and complex slalom experiences ▲Drift experience zone ▲Sudden situation experience zone ▲Obstacle experience zone for SUVs featuring slopes, gravel, moraine bumps, and water channels.

In addition, Hyundai Motor Group will develop a top-tier driving experience program in Korea by expanding and enhancing the currently operated driving experience programs so that customers can fully feel and enjoy the performance of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicles.

The program will offer a variety of options, including step-by-step driving skill education from basic to advanced driving techniques, limit driving experiences with professional drivers, and experiences on various road surfaces and obstacles, allowing customers to freely choose according to their level and preferences.

The Hyundai Motor Group Driving Experience customer-exclusive building will also provide a higher level of customer experience. The building will include ▲a large customer lounge accommodating up to 300 people ▲classrooms combined with boarding areas for immediate vehicle access after training ▲customer rest areas with kids' rooms ▲brand and advanced technology exhibition spaces ▲and a brand shop displaying brand collection products of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.

Thomas Schimiera, Vice President of Hyundai-Kia, said, “The Hyundai Motor Group Driving Experience Center combines the advanced test tracks of the Hankook Tire & Technology driving test site with driving experience facilities and a customer-exclusive building that maximize customer experience, providing the optimal driving environment. We will build it as the best driving experience center so that customers can enjoy the value and pleasure of life through automobiles.”

Lee Soo-il, President of Hankook Tire, said, “By sharing and developing the Hankook Tire & Technology driving test site with Hyundai Motor Group, we aim to strengthen the capabilities of the domestic automobile and mobility industry and further advance the driving culture.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.