Hyundai is inching closer to achieving Level 3 self-driving capabilities, according to the company’s Global Chief Safety Officer, Brian Latouf. In an interview with Automotive News Canada, Latouf confirmed that the South Korean automaker is “intensely focused” on achieving this goal and wants to ensure it does so correctly.
So far, Mercedes-Benz is the only automaker to have successfully achieved Level 3 capability. It recently received approval from the state of Nevada for its Drive Pilot semi-autonomous driving technology, and additional states like California are expected to follow suit soon.
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Hyundai aims to introduce its Level 3 system in the South Korean market, starting with a “highway drive pilot type of system that is on just highways alone and limiting certain speeds,” according to Latouf. However, he emphasized that the technology is not yet production-ready, and safety and “advanced data analytics” are among the fine-tuning that’s still required.
Assuming the technology meets Hyundai’s safety and technology goals, the next step is to seek regulatory approval in North America. The carmaker has pledged to work closely with government safety agencies, specifically the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, “to make sure we do things correctly here.”
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Hyundai has been constructing its new Michigan-based, $5.16 billion Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory in preparation for upcoming US market testing. While the company has not explicitly stated which model(s) will be among the first to receive the Level 3 semi-autonomous system, it’s likely that one of its EVs, such as the Ioniq 5 and new Ioniq 6, will be given the honors. The former is already being tested as a robotaxi in Las Vegas and by Uber as part of Motional, Hyundai’s mobility subsidiary.
It remains to be seen how Hyundai will balance its relationship with Motional, which has faced financial issues and layoffs in the past year, and its own in-house-developed Level 3 technology. However, Latouf’s comments suggest that the company is taking a careful, deliberate approach to ensuring the safety and effectiveness of its self-driving technology.
