Test-Drives Autonomous Vehicle in Pangyo on the 24th
'SDV Pace Car' to Be Unveiled in August Next Year
Chung Euisun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, announced after test-driving a 42dot autonomous vehicle that he will continue to actively support autonomous driving technology.
According to industry sources, Chairman Chung visited the 42dot headquarters in Pangyo on the morning of the 24th and test-drove an IONIQ 6-based autonomous vehicle in the Pangyo area. This visit marks his first official activity since the departure of former 42dot President Song Changhyun, who had led the development of autonomous driving technology, amid intensifying domestic competition in the autonomous driving sector.
It is reported that Chairman Chung observed a demonstration of the 'XP2' test vehicle, which is equipped with 42dot's E2E-based autonomous driving system 'Atria AI.' He conveyed his intention to continue encouraging and actively supporting 42dot's development achievements.
On December 4, 42dot released a demonstration video of its E2E-based autonomous driving technology, developed over time, through its official YouTube channel. 'Atria AI' features the use of eight cameras and one radar to perceive the surrounding environment, integrating input data into a single deep learning model. The entire process of perception, prediction, planning, and control is performed within the vehicle's internal neural processing unit (NPU).
Previously, concerns were raised that Hyundai Motor Group's momentum in future vehicle initiatives might weaken, as Tesla abruptly introduced its supervised autonomous driving (FSD) feature in Korea and former President Song's resignation coincided with this development.
At Kia's 80th anniversary event on December 5, Chairman Chung responded to questions about competitiveness in autonomous driving technology by stating, "Chinese companies and Tesla are doing well, so we are somewhat behind in the autonomous driving field. Motional is working hard in the United States, but there may still be a gap." He added, "Going forward, safety will be even more important than the gap, and we will focus on safety."
With Chairman Chung pledging continued support during this demonstration, there are expectations that the development of autonomous driving technology led by 42dot will proceed as planned. 42dot is targeting August next year for the unveiling of its first vehicle, the 'SDV Pace Car,' which will showcase all the technologies developed so far.
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