Hyundai Motor Group Shares Surge Every Time Chung Euisun Meets Jensen Huang

After Last October's "Kkanbu Meeting," Another Encounter at CES
Group Stocks Surge on Expectations for Physical AI and Autonomous Driving

Every time Chung Euisun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, meets with Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the stock prices of Hyundai Motor Group's affiliates experience significant fluctuations. Expectations that the company will transform into an artificial intelligence (AI) enterprise-by building data centers and unveiling robots and software-defined vehicles (SDVs)-have led to a rise in corporate value.

According to the financial investment industry on January 8, Hyundai Motor's share price rose 32.3% in just over two months, from 265,000 won on October 30, 2025, to 350,500 won. Its market capitalization increased to 71.77 trillion won. During the previous trading session, the stock price hit an all-time high of 362,000 won at one point.During this period, foreign and institutional investors made net purchases of Hyundai Motor shares worth 630.5 billion won and 593.6 billion won, respectively.

During the same period, the stock prices of affiliates such as Hyundai Autoever also showed an upward trend. Hyundai Autoever's share price soared by more than 140%, with its market capitalization surpassing 10 trillion won. Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Glovis-both shareholders in Boston Dynamics, which is developing the humanoid robot 'Atlas' together with Hyundai Motor-also saw their stock prices rise by nearly 30%.

On January 6, the opening day of the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, CES 2026 (local time), Chairman Chung visited the booths of Doosan, Qualcomm, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, and Nvidia in sequence, exploring new technologies in AI, robotics, and mobility. That afternoon, at the Nvidia showcase, he viewed exhibits such as the autonomous driving stack model from Mercedes-Benz, which was developed in collaboration with Nvidia. It is reported that he discussed physical AI and autonomous driving with CEO Jensen Huang for about 30 minutes in a meeting room. This meeting came three months after Chairman Chung and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong met with CEO Jensen Huang in Seoul on October 30, 2025.

Previously, in a New Year's roundtable released via video on January 5, Chairman Chung stated, "AI is not just a single new technology, but a technology that fundamentally changes the way companies and industries operate," and added, "Companies that fail to internalize AI capabilities will struggle to survive." Presenting 'Physical AI' as this year's vision, he expressed confidence that Hyundai Motor Group-equipped with data, capital, and manufacturing capabilities-has a strong chance of success in the AI arena.

The Yeouido securities industry is highly evaluating Chairman Chung's confidence. Lim Eunyoung, a researcher at Samsung Securities, stated, "The AI business requires massive infrastructure investment," and explained, "It is time to begin a corporate value reassessment of Hyundai Motor, which has joined the select group capable of pursuing Physical AI." She added, "The company will begin mass production of SDVs in the second half of this year," and emphasized, "It is important to consider that Hyundai Motor has started its transformation into an AI company by accumulating driving data."

Hyundai Motor Group is collaborating with global big tech companies such as Nvidia and Google. By establishing a partnership with Google DeepMind, it has been publicly recognized for its competitiveness in the humanoid robot sector. Kang Sungjin, a researcher at KB Securities, analyzed, "Hyundai Motor Group has secured the 'brain' most needed for humanoids at this point," and noted, "It is significant that Google chose Hyundai Motor as its partner." He further explained, "Google, aiming to expand the reach of robots to the consumer sector, selected Hyundai Motor Group as a partner because it can be an initial buyer of humanoid robots and has the capability to lower unit costs."

The fact that Hyundai Autoever's stock price is rising the fastest among group affiliates also indicates that the securities industry views Hyundai Motor Group's AI strategy positively. Hyundai Autoever is the group's information technology (IT) and software specialist affiliate. It develops and sells next-generation high-performance software platforms and communication control software for future automotive sectors such as autonomous driving and connectivity. The company is also likely to be responsible for building related systems when humanoid robots are introduced into the group's production sites. Additionally, Hyundai Autoever can act on behalf of the group in purchasing equipment and graphics processing units (GPUs) for data center construction. As Hyundai Motor Group pushes forward with its AI business, Hyundai Autoever's role is expected to grow, accelerating its pace of growth.

Nam Jooshin, a researcher at DB Financial Investment, commented, "There have been concerns about slowing profit growth at Hyundai Autoever, as over 90% of its sales come from group affiliates," but added, "Now that a new role in the AI robotics sector has been confirmed, we expect significant long-term growth."

Chairman Chung holds a 7.33% stake in Hyundai Autoever. As the value of this stake increases, it can help secure funds for restructuring the group's governance structure.