Hyundai Motor Group plans to unveil key strategies for autonomous driving and humanoid robotics at an upcoming investor event hosted by Kia next month, highlighting the group’s push to commercialize physical AI-based technologies.
According to local media reports Friday, senior technology leaders across the group will present commercialization roadmaps at Kia’s Investor Day on April 9.
Speakers are expected to include Park Min-woo, president of Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Vehicle Platform division and CEO of autonomous driving unit 42dot, as well as Zack Jackowski, vice president at robotics subsidiary Boston Dynamics and a key developer of the humanoid robot Atlas.
The event will mark Park’s first public appearance since joining Hyundai Motor Group last month. A former executive at Nvidia, Park has said he plans to strengthen the group’s autonomous driving capabilities by deepening collaboration between the AVP division and 42dot.
Industry watchers are closely monitoring whether Park will discuss the potential adoption of Nvidia’s autonomous driving platform Alphamayo, which could further tighten the partnership between the Korean automaker and the US chipmaker.
At a recent internal town hall, Park said Hyundai Motor Group plans to integrate the autonomous driving sensors used by the AVP division, 42dot and Motional into Nvidia’s Hyperion 10 sensor suite. The platform combines cameras, radar and lidar with in-vehicle AI computing systems to enable advanced autonomous driving.
Meanwhile, Jackowski is expected to outline the commercialization roadmap for the Atlas humanoid robot.
Hyundai Motor Group has said it will prioritize reliability and real-world validation before deploying humanoid robots in industrial settings, taking a more cautious approach than competitors such as Tesla and Chinese robotics firms pursuing rapid mass production.
The group plans to train Atlas robots at the Robot Metaplant Application Center in Georgia before deploying them at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America starting in 2028.
Industry observers note that it is unusual for group-level strategy announcements to be made at Kia’s investor event, which typically precedes a separate investor day hosted by Hyundai Motor later in the year.
“This suggests a strong sense of urgency to communicate the group’s next growth engines in autonomous driving and robotics,” said Kim Pil-su, an automotive engineering professor at Daelim University.
He added that Kia’s improving financial performance — including operating margins that have recently surpassed Hyundai Motor — also makes it a fitting stage for outlining the group’s broader future vision.
hyejin2@heraldcorp.com
