Hyundai Motor and Kia are set to deploy autonomous vehicles on public roads in Gwangju, South Korea’s inaugural autonomous driving verification city.
On March 9, the automakers announced their selection as the vehicle manufacturer and transportation platform operator, respectively, for the “K Autonomous Driving Collaboration Model,” part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s city-scale Autonomous Driving Verification Project. The initiative aims to gather large-scale data through real-road testing, establish technical standards, and refine regulations for autonomous driving.
Under the project, Hyundai and Kia will produce dedicated autonomous development vehicles and manage the operational platform. These vehicles will be customized to meet the technical requirements of autonomous driving technology providers participating in the project, while the platform will oversee service operations, including vehicle dispatch and control.
The autonomous vehicles will feature advanced sensors, integrated control systems, and over-the-air (OTA) update capabilities to support technology development and validation. Hyundai and Kia already have a track record as an “autonomous vehicle foundry,” supplying Ioniq 5-based autonomous vehicles to Motional, their joint venture in autonomous driving, and Waymo Robotaxi, a subsidiary of Google.
The transportation platform will leverage Hyundai and Kia’s mobility solution, Shucle, which uses AI and real-time traffic data to optimize routes, manage vehicle dispatching, and control boarding and alighting. The system has been tested across 33 local governments and more than 82 service areas, proving its reliability and service stability.
Through this project, Hyundai and Kia aim to establish an integrated autonomous driving ecosystem connecting vehicles, technology, and users. Kim Soo-young, Head of the Mobility Business Division at Hyundai Motor and Kia, said, “We will focus on advancing technology to build a system where vehicles, autonomous driving technology, and platforms are organically linked, ensuring that the verification results lead to scalable standards.”
