Hyundai Motor to redirect its TaaS, AI functions to self-driving arm 42dot
Industry insiders expect 24dot founder Song Chang-hyeon to lead the post-merger integration
Chairman of Boston Dynamics Marc Raiber (far left) and the head of Hyundai Motor Group's TaaS division Song Chang-Hyeon (second from left) speak at a press conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on Jan. 5, 2022
Hyundai Motor Group will redirect the core functions of its Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS) division and AIRS Company to its recently acquired self-driving startup 42dot.
The top automaker in South Korea recently held a briefing to explain the corporate restructuring plan to the affected parties, or those who are working to develop mobility-related software.
“We are checking to see who would like to transfer to 42dot,” a person familiar with the development told The Korea Economic Daily. “The aim is to maximize efficiency by grouping similar tasks.”
Hyundai Motor Group recently completed its acquisition of 42dot by increasing its take in the autonomous driving startup to 93.2%.
On April 16, 2021, the automaker appointed 42dot founder and CEO Song Chang-hyeon as the point person to oversee mobility businesses for Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. The group announced the establishment of the TaaS division and named Song head of the new division.
An industry insider said, “Song is expected to be in charge of post-merger integration (PMI) of the TaaS division and AIRS Company.”
Formerly AIR Lab, AIRS Company was founded in 2019 to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and their applications for the automotive giant.
AIRS is currently working in three domains, namely automotive voice agents, mobility service platforms, and smart factories, according to the company’s website.
The TaaS division is in charge of streamlining the conglomerate’s existing mobility services, and subsequently introducing new service models based on user data to enhance its competitiveness in the mobility sector.
In related news, Hyundai Motor Group announced plans to establish a Global Software Center earlier this month to lead in the development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
42dot is widely expected to set the foundation for the upcoming transition.
42dot's robot taxi (Courtesy of 42dot)
The concept of an SDV became well known with the introduction of Elon Musk's Tesla in 2012; in an SDV the features and functions are primarily enabled through software.
Hyundai Motor Group’s largest member is Hyundai Motor Co., which has a controlling stake in Kia Corp. The two companies are South Korea’s largest and second largest car manufacturers, respectively.
Write to Il-Gue Kim, Han-Gyeol Seon at black0419@hankyung.com Jee Abbey Lee edited this article.
