Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv Autonomous Driving Joint Venture Confirm Company Name as 'Motional'

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] The autonomous driving joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv has officially announced its new name as 'Motional.'

The joint venture unveiled its new name to employees worldwide through an online event on the 11th (local time). Motional was established in March this year through strategic investments by Hyundai Motor Group and the autonomous driving specialist company Aptiv. It aims to become a leading mobility company that develops and commercializes autonomous vehicles with world-class performance, safety, and economic efficiency.

Jung Eui-sun, Executive Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, said, "For over half a century, Hyundai Motor Group has strived to realize humanity's dreams," adding, "Motional represents the next-generation innovation sector pioneering a new field of safe, economical, and eco-friendly mobility."

Kevin Clark, CEO of Aptiv, also stated, "Motional is driving the mobility transformation through mass production of autonomous driving systems," and "Aptiv will help usher in the era of autonomous vehicles with its advanced ADAS platform that adds safety and reliability to highly automated vehicles."

Motional is developing and promoting the commercialization of Level 4 autonomous driving technology (based on the SAE standard by the Society of Automotive Engineers) capable of handling all situations. Testing of fully autonomous driving systems is scheduled to begin this year, and in 2022, the company plans to supply autonomous driving systems and supporting technologies to robotaxi and mobility operators.

Genesis vehicle wrapped with the Motional brand image

The name Motional combines the English words 'Motion' and 'Emotional.' 'Motion' refers to the movement of autonomous vehicles achieved through decades of accumulated experience and technology, while 'Emotional' embodies the value of human respect based on safety and trust.

Karl Iagnemma, CEO (President) of Motional, said, "Motional has led global autonomous driving technology for decades," adding, "Our DNA, which combines Aptiv’s advanced technological expertise and Hyundai Motor Group’s leadership in automotive R&D and manufacturing, possesses a unique power to fundamentally change how people move."

He continued, "We have communicated with passengers and autonomous driving technology on actual roads more than anyone else," and added, "The new name is a bold and powerful statement reflecting our determination to lead the autonomous driving industry and the future of transportation."

Motional is home to many pioneers who have led the autonomous driving technology field. They have experience participating in the autonomous driving competition 'DARPA Grand Challenge' hosted by the U.S. military technology research institute and are the founders of startups 'nuTonomy' and 'Ottomatika,' which were active during the early days of autonomous driving technology.

They crossed the U.S. continent in 2015 with the first fully autonomous vehicle and conducted the world’s first robotaxi pilot project in Singapore in 2016. Furthermore, from 2018 to recently, they have realized a remarkable leap in autonomous driving technology by commercializing the world’s largest robotaxi service for the general public in Las Vegas. The autonomous robotaxi service in Las Vegas has been provided to customers over 100,000 times, with 98% of riders rating the service 5 out of 5.

Headquartered in Boston, Motional has bases in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, and Singapore, and recently opened an additional base in Seoul. The Seoul base will serve as another core technology hub and play a role in autonomous driving technology testing.