12 hours Ago By [email protected](KoreaTimes)
Hyundai Motor's IONIQ 5 electric vehicle / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor By Lee Min-hyung Hyundai Motor and Waymo secured a multi-year strategic partnership on Friday to advance autonomous vehicle technologies by integrating the U.S.-based company's sixth-generation self-driving technology into Hyundai's IONIQ 5 electric SUV, the companies said.
As part of the partnership, the IONIQ 5 for the Waymo fleet will be assembled at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility in Georgia. Waymo is a U.S.
-based self-driving tech company best known for its autonomous ride-hailing service. The company is under Google's parent firm, Alphabet. Both firms plan to produce a fleet of IONIQ 5s equipped with the Waymo Driver technology in significant volume over multiple years.
They will begin initial on-road testing for the Waymo-enabled IONIQ 5s by late 2025. "We are thrilled to partner with Hyundai as we further our mission to be the world's most trusted driver," Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said. "Hyundai's focus on sustainability and strong electric vehicle roadmap makes them a great partner for us, as we bring our fully autonomous service to more riders in more places.
" Jose Munoz, global chief operating officer and president at Hyundai Motor, said the carmaker will remain ready to manufacture the special vehicles for Waymo. "Waymo's transformational technology is improving road safety where they operate, and the IONIQ 5 is the ideal vehicle to scale this further. The team at our new manufacturing facility is ready to allocate a significant number of vehicles for Waymo," he added.
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