"Autonomous Vehicle Research, Localization Essential" Hanla Group Opens Research Center in China

Yoon Pal-ju, CEO of HL Clemoove

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] HL Clemoove, an autonomous driving solution specialist under Halla Group, announced on the 6th that it opened a research center in Suzhou, China earlier this month.

After establishing the company last December, it secured domestic and overseas R&D and production bases consecutively, including a research center in Bangalore, India in March this year and a production subsidiary in Mexico in May. The company explained that it is accelerating its global localization strategy by having four research centers and four production bases worldwide.

Spun off from Mando, a leading domestic automotive parts company, HL Clemoove aims to achieve sales of 2.4 trillion KRW by 2026 and 4 trillion KRW by 2030. To this end, it has devised a strategy to offer a full range of autonomous driving products tailored to local demand. Localization of R&D and a full lineup of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) products are key.

Advanced research and development of sensors such as LiDAR, 4D imaging radar, high-resolution cameras, and autonomous driving integrated controllers are conducted at the R&D headquarters in Pangyo, Korea. China has entry barriers such as regulations restricting the export of domestic road driving data overseas. This necessitates big data analysis and in-house development capabilities at the local research center.

Additionally, the company explained that due to the wide spectrum of autonomous driving stages and the diverse market demands, it opened the local research center in China. The Suzhou research center will provide customer-oriented engineering services locally. India is just beginning to introduce autonomous driving, so the focus there is on R&D related to Level 2 and 2-plus autonomous driving.

Product manufacturing is carried out at factories in Songdo, Incheon, Suzhou, China, and Bangalore, India. Furthermore, the production subsidiary established in Mexico last May supports Hyundai Motor and Kia’s North American localization while expanding the local customer base. The factory in Saltillo, Mexico is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of next year.

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