Minwoo Park, President of Hyundai Motor and Kia: "Pursuing a Two-Track Strategy for Autonomous Driving through Global Collaboration and Internalization"

AI and Autonomous Driving Competition Hinges on Execution

"Who Can Implement Faster and Safer Will Shape the Future"

Minwoo Park, President and Head of the Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division at Hyundai Motor Company and CEO of 42dot, emphasized his commitment to accelerating commercialization and enhancing reliability based on an "execution-first" approach, with the goal of internalizing autonomous driving software development capabilities.

Minwoo Park, President and Head of Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division at Hyundai Motor Company and CEO of 42dot. Hyundai Motor Company

Hyundai Motor Group, ahead of the upcoming "HMG Tech Talent Forum" in Silicon Valley, USA this September, released on June 10 its strategies for responding to artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous driving, and software-defined vehicle (SDV) fields from a development perspective, as well as its philosophy on cultivating talent and organizations, through an interview with President Park. The forum will feature participation from President Park, Hyundai Motor Company President Jose Munoz, R&D Division President Manfred Harrer, and Hyundai Motor Company Executive Vice President and Head of HR Kim Hyein, among others.

President Park served as a key member in the early development of Tesla Autopilot, leading the design of Tesla Vision, and headed the autonomous driving perception technology organization at NVIDIA, accumulating global experience in autonomous driving technology.

Explaining his reason for joining Hyundai Motor Group, Park stated, "Mobility innovation is realized when scalable hardware capabilities and powerful software technologies are organically combined," adding, "Hyundai Motor Group already possesses world-class hardware capabilities and software potential, and its determination to transform into a smart mobility solutions company is clear."

He specifically identified "execution" as the new paradigm of competition in the mobility industry. He said, "The future will not be decided by who develops the technology first, but by who can most quickly and reliably scale a product to the market that anyone can use with confidence," emphasizing, "Preliminary research alone is not sufficient; it is crucial to elevate the technology to a level that real customers can trust."

FortytwoDot Autonomous Driving Concept Diagram. FortytwoDot

He further stressed that in the future mobility competition, the ability to utilize data will determine competitive advantage. The key, he explained, is how quickly data can be acquired and how effectively it is learned and advanced to translate into real product competitiveness.

Hyundai Motor Group is pursuing a "two-track" strategy for acquiring advanced autonomous driving technology, combining collaboration with global companies and internalizing technology. The plan is to rapidly secure commercialization and validation capabilities through global partnerships while simultaneously strengthening the group’s own autonomous driving technology and SDV development capabilities.

President Park stated, "We will continuously advance Hyundai Motor Group's proprietary end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving model by leveraging the vast driving data accumulated through partnerships," adding, "Our ultimate goal is to secure safety and reliability with our own technology."

Hyundai Motor Group is working to standardize autonomous driving sensors. Hyundai Motor Company, Kia, 42dot, and Motional are establishing a "data union" system to connect and utilize data, and have a strategy to rapidly advance technology based on a "data flywheel" structure—collecting data, improving models, and applying them to mass production.

Additionally, President Park identified robotics as the core axis of future strategies connecting autonomous driving and physical AI. He stated, "Technology should not exist just to prove it can be implemented, but should expand to commercialization and mass production, ultimately becoming the best technology that truly helps people."

Minwoo Park, President and Head of Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division at Hyundai Motor Company and CEO of 42dot. Hyundai Motor Company

He also said that conflicts between hardware and software, as well as between research and development and the production site, are very natural during paradigm shifts. He remarked, "In the whirlwind of change, clashes of opinion are inevitable. The important thing is to turn such conflicts into positive friction that helps us create more perfect products."

He went on to say, "We must create the best technology that helps people, not technology for its own sake," adding, "If failure occurs, the responsibility lies with the leader."

He described the present as "a very meaningful time for developers." As this is a transition period where traditional manufacturing-based development and new software-centric development cultures coexist, he explained, young engineers can directly participate in key decision-making and the process of introducing new technology stacks.

He especially emphasized that Hyundai Motor Group's two-track autonomous driving development strategy will deliver special value to developers. President Park said, "Global collaboration leads to standardization and validation, while internalization means optimization and reality," adding, "Experiencing both simultaneously will provide opportunities for developers to grow from 'simple developers' to 'technological decision-makers.'"

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group plans to expand technological exchanges with outstanding global talent through the "HMG Tech Talent Forum 2026," which will be held in San Jose, Silicon Valley, USA from September 17 to 18 (local time).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.