Hyundai Motor, Kia surpass 10mn global connected car subscribers

Hyundai Motor Group announced on Monday that the global number of subscribers to the connected car services of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp, first introduced in the domestic market in 2003, has exceeded 10 million worldwide.

Connected car is a service that combines wireless networks with automobile software to enhance vehicle convenience. It is operated through brand-specific services such as Hyundai Motor's Bluelink, Kia's Connect and Genesis' connected services.

Connected cars, which utilize in-vehicle infotainment systems and smartphones, go beyond basic services such as real-time navigation, voice recognition and remote vehicle control. They are expanding their range to include features like remote vehicle diagnostics, over-the-air software updates, in-vehicle payment and video/audio streaming.

As the number of connected car service subscribers increases, the big data generated by them, including traffic signals and vehicle operation information, also increases.

Hyundai Motor Group explained that with this vast amount of information, it is possible to develop more advanced artificial intelligence (AI) services and improve the quality of connected services such as optimal route guidance by increasing data analysis and processing speed.

The global number of subscribers to Hyundai and Kia's connected car services surpassed 1 million in May 2018, followed by 5 million in August 2021, 8 million in October 2022, and is currently showing a steep growth trend, reaching 10 million this month. Hyundai Motor Group predicts that at the current pace, the global number of connected car subscribers will reach the 20 million range by the mid-2020s.

In overseas markets, starting with the United States in Jun. 2011, Hyundai and Kia have expanded their service countries to include China, Europe, India and recently Singapore. They currently provide services in over 50 countries.

Connected car service plays a central role in Hyundai Motor Group's ongoing transition to a software-defined vehicle (SDV) paradigm and is expected to continue to advance.

Hyundai Motor and Kia announced last October that they would apply over-the-air updates as a standard feature to all future vehicle models as part of their SDV vision and strategy.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com