Hyundai Motor Group Unveils PBV Interior Vision and Future UX Technologies for the First Time

Held to Reveal Future PBV UX Development Directions and New Technologies
Exhibition of Airport Pickup PBV Concept Using Developing PBV-Dedicated Platform

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Hyundai Motor Group held the ‘UX Tech Day 2022’ event, where attendees could get a preview of the purpose-built mobility (PBV) vehicles planned for release after 2025.

On the 16th, Hyundai Motor Group unveiled the results reflecting the development direction of PBV UX (user experience), including a PBV test buck under development, at the ‘UX Studio Seoul’ in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. They also shared the future UX development direction and technological achievements for PBV.

UX Studio Seoul is a dedicated vehicle UX research and development space created to invite customers throughout the entire process?from initial vehicle concept development to the pre-mass production product verification stage?to gather feedback on UX and incorporate it into the product.

During the initial PBV development phase, Hyundai Motor Group exhibited a wooden ‘study buck’ for concept development and an ‘engineering buck’ where the technology was actually implemented, allowing visitors to experience how the initial vehicle concept materializes through various stages.

The exhibited engineering buck was built on a PBV-exclusive electric vehicle platform under development targeting 2025, and was developed with the concept of an ‘airport pickup PBV’ designed to transport travelers to and from airports.

It features numerous technologies optimized for both travelers and operators, including a carrier rack in place of the front passenger seat and an expanded rear seating area instead of a trunk space, allowing up to five people to enjoy a spacious interior. Additionally, considering the convenience of boarding for transportation-vulnerable passengers, the door system maximizes the opening width to facilitate easy wheelchair access.

Moreover, at UX Studio Seoul, Hyundai Motor Group also displayed research and development outcomes that are being proactively studied to develop customer-centric vehicle UX.

The ‘Responsive PBV Seat Concept,’ jointly developed by Hyundai Motor Company, Kia, and the MIT Media Lab in the United States, is a technology where the seat automatically detects the passenger’s body and adjusts its shape accordingly. Applying this technology to PBVs, which carry a diverse range of passengers, allows the long bench-style seats to be variably transformed based on the number and body types of passengers.

Hyundai Mobis introduced the ‘Mode Switching Cockpit,’ which enhances passenger convenience in highly autonomous vehicles. Depending on three modes?Drive, Office, and Relax?the UX optimizes lighting, seat angles, displays, and controls to suit the user.

Hyundai Transys showcased the ‘Multipurpose Mobility Seat System,’ which considers individual user lifestyles. It implements ten integrated scenario modes that optimize the interior environment for various situations passengers may experience, including biometric signal analysis technology for transportation-vulnerable passengers and technologies to enhance interior space usability for families traveling with infants.

Additionally, a ‘UX Meta Studio’ was set up at the exhibition hall, allowing attendees to participate directly in an online UX research program through VR technology.

During the announcement, Hyundai Motor Group explained why UX is becoming increasingly important in the rapidly changing mobility environment and introduced the UX aspects they focus on in PBV development, along with customer-centric research and development efforts.

Heewon Yang, Vice President of Product Integrated Development at Hyundai Motor Company and Kia, said in his greeting, “Customers expect more diverse and special experiences from future mobility,” adding, “We will devote ourselves further to UX development to provide the best experiences to customers even in new mobility environments such as PBV.”

Following him, Hyorin Kim, Executive Director of Product UX Headquarters, stated, “To create better user experiences, we focus on ▲Humanistic (people) ▲High-Tech (advanced technology) ▲Harmony (balance). Based on these three principles, we develop HUX (holistic user experience) and realize it through the UX Studio.”

Jisung Ryu, Executive Director of the Body Development Center, continued the presentation by saying, “We are developing body technologies for better customer experiences in the new mobility era,” and introduced various new technologies aimed at PBV application, such as the driver’s seat independent partition and indoor carrier storage modules.

Meanwhile, on the 15th, a day before the event, Hyundai Motor Group held an event inviting university students majoring in mobility UX-related fields.

Separately, Kia has been steadily introducing derivative PBVs using existing models, such as launching the Ray single-seater van model in February this year and unveiling the Niro Plus in May. They are also strengthening cooperation with business partners like Coupang and CJ Logistics.

In particular, Hyundai Motor Group is developing a PBV-exclusive model using a PBV-dedicated electric vehicle platform targeting mass production in 2025, and is building Korea’s first new-concept PBV electric vehicle-exclusive factory with an annual production capacity of up to 150,000 units, aiming for mass production in the second half of 2025. These efforts are part of their goal to become the world’s number one global PBV brand by 2030.

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