Hyundai Motor Group Government Chair Chung Euisun speaks throughout Kia’s eightieth anniversary occasion in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 5. Yonhap
Hyundai Motor Group is going through a dilemma over its deadlocked autonomous driving enterprise, because the carmaker struggles to discover a certified government to guide the carmaker’s superior car platform (AVP) division even after its year-end reshuffle of high administration.
The automaker accomplished Thursday the reshuffle of its presidential-level administration, however failed to call a successor to former AVP chief Track Chang-hyun.
Track resigned from the publish on Dec. 5, taking accountability for the carmaker’s weak progress within the self-driving enterprise.
The management vacuum has meant delays in planning at a vital time, as each Tesla and Chinese language carmakers proceed to supply autonomous driving as a part of their electrical car (EV) gross sales approaches.
The strategic significance of in-vehicle software program, which powers superior self-driving, continues to develop, and was a part of the explanation for the most recent high administration reshuffle from the Korean carmaker.
Hyundai Motor Group underscored the strategic significance of software-defined automobiles (SDVs) as a key phrase, and two out of the carmaker’s 4 newly-promoted presidents will deal with accelerating its drive to embrace SDVs.
Manfred Harrer, president and head of R&D at Hyundai Motor, will oversee analysis duties for the carmaker, and Jung Jun-cheul, president and head of producing options, will velocity up its software-defined manufacturing transformation.
Nevertheless, the shortage of AVP chief nonetheless makes it tough for the agency to reshape its self-driving technique in a well timed method.
In 2022, Hyundai Motor Group Government Chair Chung Euisun expressed deep belief in Track by buying a 93-percent stake in his 42dot self-driving software program growth startup for 427.6 billion received ($289 million).
Track Chang-hyun, proper, former head of Hyundai Motor’s superior car platform division, explains the carmaker’s transformation right into a software-defined car maker throughout the 2024 CES tech honest in Las Vegas, Jan. 9, 2024. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor
Track turned the pinnacle of the carmaker’s AVP division and carried out work establishing the carmaker’s self-driving working system.
Nevertheless, Track’s bold imaginative and prescient was eclipsed by speedy progress from rival carmakers.
Tesla lately triggered a sensation with the discharge of the supervised model of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) service in Korea. Normal Motors (GM) Korea additionally launched its Tremendous Cruise hands-free superior driver help system regionally.
The pinnacle of Hyundai Motor Group acknowledged the delayed progress.
“We’re considerably late, and there could also be some gaps between Hyundai Motor Group and Tesla or Chinese language rivals within the enterprise,” Chung instructed reporters throughout Kia’s eightieth anniversary occasion on Dec. 5. “We are going to place extra emphasis on security, as security is way more essential than the tech hole.”
Trade officers stated Hyundai Motor Group seems to be taking a cautious method to appointing Track’s successor.
“Because the carmaker has confronted unceasing controversies over the course of its self-driving enterprise, the group’s high administration will stay greater than cautious on the nomination of the following AVP chief,” an official from the trade stated.
