"Mobility Accelerates Shift to Service Industry... Must Adapt to Change to Survive"

6th National Assembly Mobility Forum on the 22nd

As the mobility industry accelerates its transition to the service sector with the commercialization of robotaxis, there is a call for Korean companies to actively respond to the changing industrial structure.

On the 22nd, Ko Tae-bong, Executive Director of the Research Division at Hi Investment & Securities, emphasized this point at the 6th National Assembly Mobility Forum held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Ko said, "Once robotaxis are commercialized, the mobility industry will rapidly shift to the service sector," adding, "We must quickly narrow the technological gap with leading companies and position ourselves at the forefront to maintain our current status in mobility."

The robotaxi industry can be considered the culmination of autonomous driving technology. The moment unmanned autonomous driving technology is applied to a revenue model, the mobility industry, which has been centered on manufacturing, is expected to swiftly transition to the service sector. Ko stated, "It is difficult to predict whether the leadership will remain with automobile manufacturers (OEMs) or shift to service platform companies or AI firms as the mobility industry becomes service-oriented."

Hyundai Motor's autonomous vehicle joint venture Motional operates the Ioniq 5 robotaxi in Las Vegas, USA.
[Photo by Motional]

He also mentioned that an increase in research and development expenditure is inevitable to prepare for the transition to the mobility service industry. He said, "At the national level, securing core technologies and talent should be the top priority, and South Korea must become one huge laboratory (Lab) integrating large corporations, startups, academia, and national research institutes."

Ko also emphasized the importance of convergent technologies in the mobility service industry. He said, "Instead of establishing policies by industry, integrated solutions from a convergent perspective are necessary," adding, "When the great integration of cyber and physical fields occurs, leading products will be autonomous vehicles and robots."

Furthermore, he mentioned practical challenges such as strengthening price competitiveness through cost reduction and securing supply chains for core parts and materials. Ko pointed out, "Without reducing production costs through smart factories and innovation in production processes, it is difficult to succeed in competition," and "The dependence on China for core electric vehicle parts and materials is high, so securing diverse supply sources is necessary."

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