These days, among Hyundai Motor Company drivers,
the Japanese animation and game series "Pokémon" has become a hot topic.
"Why Pikachu all of a sudden?" you might wonder,
but for car owners living in the era of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV),
this Pokémon theme issue is not something to be taken lightly.
From the left: The All-New Palisade, Ioniq 9, The All-New Nexo, The New Ioniq 6, 2026 Sonata The Edge, The New Staria
원본보기 아이콘At the end of last month, Hyundai Motor Company announced the launch of a
paid Pokémon theme for its ccNC infotainment display.
This is where the problem began.
Owners of models like the Tucson, Santa Fe, and Grandeur,
which use the exact same ccNC system, were left out.
Even though these are the latest models released less than a year or two ago,
when news spread that "you can't see Pikachu in your car,"
the car owners' online communities erupted.
"Is my car already being treated as outdated?" was the bitter sense of deprivation that burst forth.
If this was simply about changing a character design,
people wouldn't have been so upset.
The key issue is the fairness of 'after-sales support'.
Let's take a look at Tesla, considered the pioneer of SDVs.
Tesla provides even vehicles released over 10 years ago
with the latest features via over-the-air (OTA) software updates,
regardless of model, without discrimination.
As a result, consumers feel as if they're driving a new car every time,
even if they've owned their vehicle for a long time.
In the end, the Pokémon theme might seem like a minor update,
but for today's consumers, the crucial factor was the difference in
'customer experience' that comes from whether or not updates are possible.
In fact, this controversy over Hyundai Motor Company's after-sales updates is
not the first of its kind.
Even when release dates differed by just a few months,
hardware differences led to variations in features such as regenerative braking or digital keys,
which caused dissatisfaction among owners.
Now, it is time for the entire automotive industry to seriously consider universal after-sales support via OTA, starting from the manufacturing stage.
Fortunately, on March 20, Hyundai Motor Company announced in a notice
that it would sequentially update the Pokémon theme to models such as The New Tucson and The All-New Santa Fe.
In doing so, the company has begun to address the issue.
Although it may be a case of "fixing the barn after losing the cow,"
it is still positive that the company has decided to address customer complaints, even if belatedly.
Now, Hyundai Motor Company is preparing to launch its new infotainment system,
'Pleos Connect'.
The lesson from this Pokémon incident is clear.
Rather than selling one more unit of hardware,
it is much more important to dedicate sincere effort through software to customers who have already purchased vehicles.
The anxious concern among consumers that "Pleos may also be abandoned once the next system is released"
is a challenge Hyundai Motor Company must address going forward.
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Reporter Choi Youngchan elach1@asiae.co.kr
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Edit Kim Boram kbram6457@asiae.co.kr
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