Park Minwoo, Hyundai Motor AVP President: "Confidently Competing with Tesla... AVP and 42dot Are One Team" (Comprehensive)

Park Minwoo, head of the Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division (President) and CEO of 42dot, who recently joined Hyundai Motor Group following stints at Tesla and Nvidia, stated, "We will focus all our efforts on building mass-production software and a scalable verification system to secure Level 2++ and Level 3 capabilities that can confidently compete with Tesla."

In a message sent to all employees on January 21, Park said, "From now on, leadership will not be determined by 'who developed the technology first,' but rather by 'who scaled up products that anyone can use safely, more quickly and reliably in the market,'" emphasizing his vision.

Park explained that for Hyundai Motor Group to lead the autonomous driving industry, it must simultaneously pursue both commercialization and internalization of its technologies. He said, "To provide value that customers can immediately experience, we must accelerate commercialization," adding, "In the long term, we need to establish a physical AI framework and a data flywheel structure that will become the foundation of all of Hyundai's intelligent mobility, thereby securing fundamental competitiveness."

He continued, "These two goals are never in conflict. Internalized technologies support market execution, and data and feedback from the market, in turn, fuel further internalization, creating a virtuous cycle."

To achieve this, he stressed the importance of every employee's experience, expertise, and collective intelligence. He said, "Please set aside the idea that a single leader can change everything," and added, "I am merely the conductor of the orchestra; unless every performer moves in harmony, we can never create beautiful music."

He went on to say, "Your support in the right place at the right time is absolutely essential," and added, "I hope that the mindset of 'No one fails alone, we will succeed together' becomes our starting point."

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Yangjae Headquarters

He also emphasized that the AVP Division and 42dot must work as 'One Team.' He stated, "There will be no silos where AVP only executes and 42dot only internalizes. We will only integrate around technology and expertise." He continued, "Recall the past collaboration between Nvidia and Mercedes-Benz: it went beyond a simple partnership to the complete sharing of confluence and collaboration tools, factories, and cloud assets. As a fully 'Mixed Team,' where engineers reported to each other, they created synergy."

He repeatedly referred to the importance of a 'shared purpose.' Park said, "Debate fiercely during the process, but once a direction is decided, I hope you will demonstrate mature execution by moving forward as one." He also stressed the organization's goals, saying, "We must set aside our pride before our objectives. Sometimes, my module may not be used, but we must move forward for the best product."

Park expressed his ambition, stating, "I want to make Hyundai Motor Group a company that leads next-generation intelligent mobility through the harmony of technology and people." He encouraged employees, adding, "I want to set a new global standard for innovation and see Korea recognized as an undisputed leader in this field. Let us build a sustainable innovation ecosystem and culture together on this journey."

Park is an expert in autonomous perception and machine learning-based AI architecture. During his time at Tesla, he was a core member of the Autopilot computer vision team and participated in the design and development of Tesla's first camera-based perception system, 'Tesla Vision.' After moving to Nvidia, he led an organization responsible for autonomous perception and machine learning-based common AI architecture, and played a key role in mass-producing and commercializing Nvidia's autonomous driving platform.

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