Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Euisun: "A Year When New Technologies Transform Customers' Daily Lives"

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun's New Year's Address: "Possibility Will Become Part of Customers' Daily Lives"
Shared New Year Direction with Group Employees at Metaverse New Year's Meeting
Emphasized Efforts for a 'Better Future for Customers and Humanity'

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun is sharing the New Year's direction with executives and employees through a New Year's address on the 3rd. (Photo by Hyundai Motor Group)

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] "In 2022, we aim to make this year a time to realize the possibilities we have been striving for into the everyday lives of our customers."

Jung Euisun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, said in his New Year's address on the 3rd, "This year, let us visualize our efforts for a better future for customers and humanity."

Since declaring a "transition to a game changer" in his 2019 New Year's message, Hyundai Motor Group has expressed its determination to enable customers to experience the efforts made to prioritize customers and humanity and to establish new growth engines in their daily lives.

To this end, Chairman Jung emphasized that the group will ▲ firmly establish the foundation of a ‘Top Tier eco-friendly brand’ trusted by customers and ▲ secure core software technologies including artificial intelligence to concretely present smart solutions in future business areas such as autonomous driving, robotics, and UAM (Urban Air Mobility).

Emphasis on Strengthening the Foundation of a Top Tier Eco-Friendly Brand and Securing Core Software Technologies

Chairman Jung stated, "We will firmly establish the foundation to become the ‘Top Tier eco-friendly brand’ that customers trust and are most satisfied with."

Last year, Hyundai Motor Group successfully launched the Ioniq 5, EV6, and GV60 equipped with the dedicated electric vehicle platform E-GMP, and this year plans to expand customer choices by releasing the Ioniq 6, electrified GV70 model, Niro EV, and high-performance EV6 models.

To popularize eco-friendly vehicles, the group is also focusing on building an electrification ecosystem by cooperating with domestic and international companies to establish charging infrastructure.

Chairman Jung said, "We will enable electric vehicles and hydrogen to be used as power sources in various mobility and industrial sectors, and systematically execute roadmaps and strategies to achieve carbon neutrality across the group."

He also emphasized securing core software technologies, as they are the foundation for realizing future possibilities in human life and customers' daily lives.

He mentioned, "The competitiveness of the group's future cutting-edge products depends on securing core software technologies including artificial intelligence. We plan to establish AI research centers where talented personnel are located to intensively nurture capabilities in related fields and continuously expand open platforms to discover diverse ideas and activate exchanges."

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun is sharing the New Year's direction with executives and employees through a New Year's address on the 3rd. (Photo by Hyundai Motor Group)

Test Driving the Ioniq 5 Autonomous Vehicle Scheduled for Mass Production in 2023

Regarding autonomous driving, Chairman Jung explained, "We will introduce various pilot services equipped with Level 4 technology that minimizes driver intervention and test drive autonomous vehicles based on the Ioniq 5, scheduled for mass production in 2023."

In the first half of this year, Hyundai Motor Group plans to provide customers with convenient mobility experiences linked to autonomous driving technology through pilot services such as ‘RoboRide’ using Level 4 autonomous vehicles, and ‘RoboShuttle’ combined with the demand-responsive mobility service ‘Shucle’.

Regarding robotics, Chairman Jung said, "We will continuously strengthen research and development capabilities and actively collaborate with various fields including mobility."

Boston Dynamics, which became part of the group last year, will actively expand its business by commercializing the service robot Spot and introducing the logistics robot Stretch to the market this year.

At CES 2022 (Consumer Electronic Show 2022), Hyundai Motor Group will introduce the future changes that the combination of robotics technology and the metaverse will bring to human society and present the role and vision of robotics.

The commercialization plan was also clarified. Chairman Jung added, "UAM, which expands the realm and possibilities of mobility, is based on the ‘Supernal’ brand philosophy, meaning ‘the best quality celestial mobility solution,’ and we will steadily prepare for commercialization by 2028."

Last year, Hyundai Motor Group finalized the U.S. UAM corporation name as ‘Supernal’ and is accelerating efforts to develop safe aircraft and build infrastructure for UAM commercialization. In Korea, the group is closely cooperating with major companies to successfully realize the UAM business, including developing UAM aircraft and business models, constructing vertical takeoff and landing pads, and establishing communication infrastructure and data platforms.

Chairman Jung also emphasized, "We will reorganize the business portfolio and value chain to concentrate capabilities and create synergy beyond the finished vehicle sector, and continuously discover and nurture new growth engines such as smart cities, smart logistics, and new materials."

Hyundai Motor Group Metaverse New Year's Party (Provided by Hyundai Motor Group)

Emphasis on Detailed Quality Control and Active Practice of ESG Management

Chairman Jung urged, "For efforts to connect future possibilities to customers' daily lives to bear fruit, it is essential that all employees' relentless efforts and capabilities be united."

He particularly stressed, "Detailed quality control and assurance, which are the most fundamental across the entire group, are absolutely necessary."

He continued, "We must create a corporate culture where each employee's capabilities are fully demonstrated, and various possibilities can expand through communication and cooperation. We will support the establishment of environments and systems where employees can feel fulfillment and achievement through their work, develop competitiveness, and take pride in the company."

He reiterated the social role of the company. Chairman Jung said emphatically, "For sustainable growth, it is very important to actively practice ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) management and engage in exemplary communication with society."

At the same time, he added, "We must create a virtuous cycle structure where shareholders, investors, local communities, and customers who work with us can grow in a more advanced direction. We will do our best to become a model social enterprise through endless investment and efforts in environmental protection and industrial safety."

Finally, Chairman Jung urged employees, "There will be many difficulties and anxieties about new challenges, but I hope everyone will take vigorous steps with positive energy on our journey for a better future for customers and humanity."

Meanwhile, on the same day, Chairman Jung shared his New Year's message with employees worldwide through a video on the ‘Live Station’ stage of the metaverse built by Hyundai Motor Group.

This year's Hyundai Motor Group New Year's meeting was held using a metaverse platform. The metaverse is a three-dimensional virtual world where social, economic, and cultural activities take place like in the real world. Hyundai Motor Group enabled employees worldwide to meet and exchange New Year's greetings with their own avatars in the metaverse ‘Hyundai Motor Group Park (HMG Park).’

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