“Backed by the South Korean government, Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest KRW 41 trillion (approx. US$35 billion) in mobility and other auto technologies by 2025. The significant investment includes autonomous vehicles, electric cars, connected vehicles, and technology for ride-sharing. It comes after Hyundai, and its affiliates announced an investment of US$1.6 billion in a joint venture with US-based self-driving tech firm Aptiv. Even though South Korea lags in artificial intelligence, sensors, and logic chips, the Government expects Hyundai to launch Level 4 or fully autonomous cars for fleet customers in 2024 and for the general public by 2027. South Korea’s government has committed to having regulatory and legal frameworks for autonomous cars and their safety concerns in place by 2024. With such a powerful partner, Hyundai clearly wants to stay ahead in the high-stakes race to build mass-market electric and self-driving cars. It does look like South Korea is aiming to be among the first in the world to commercialize autonomous driving by 2030.” – Vinay Piparsania