"Shall We Cool Down by Powering the Car Seat?" Hyundai Motor's Vehicle Customization Contest

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Hyundai Motor Company announced that it will hold the 2nd H-ear Customizing Idea Contest and accept ideas from the 9th of this month until July 3rd. H-ear is a customer-facing open communication platform designed to incorporate customer opinions and ideas from the early stages of product and service development. The name combines "ear" and "hear," symbolizing listening to customers' voices.

In its second year, the contest seeks customizing (tailor-made) product ideas for two target groups: young adults in their 20s and 30s buying their first car, and middle-aged to senior customers in their 60s and 70s who use their cars to enjoy various lifestyles.

Anyone with creative ideas can participate by submitting through the H-ear website. Hyundai will conduct the first round of judging in June based on originality, marketability, and feasibility to select finalists. After a customer preference survey in July, the final winners will be chosen in August. A total of 10 winners will be selected: one grand prize winner will receive 5 million KRW, two excellence award winners will receive 2 million KRW each, two encouragement award winners will receive 1 million KRW each, and five honorable mentions will receive 200,000 KRW each.

Last year’s inaugural contest focused on the multi-purpose vehicle Staria, inviting customer proposals. The grand prize-winning idea was a system that adds power supply functionality to the standardized ISOFIX car seat connectors, allowing the driver to control the seat heating and ventilation system. Other winning ideas included child safety boarding guide lamps, external sliding cargo boxes, partition-cum-tables, child headrests, vehicle-mounted rotating portable LED lanterns, and fine dust blocking nets for car camping. Hyundai stated that they are reviewing these ideas for potential product launches based on marketability and business viability.

A Hyundai Motor official said, "This process is significant as it shifts from a seller-centered mindset back to the customer. We hope many original customer proposal ideas will emerge."

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