On November 11th, according to media reports, Hyundai Motor has recently extended an "olive branch" to Chinese technology companies, planning to shift from the original independent research and development route to cooperation with global leading enterprises, striving to achieve a "quantum leap" in autonomous driving technology. Following Baidu and Momenta, it is reported that Hyundai is reaching out to core Chinese autonomous driving companies such as Xiaopeng to promote technological cooperation. Especially recently, Hyundai Motor is in specific cooperation negotiations with Xiaopeng.
It is reported that Xiaopeng has established a legal entity in South Korea and started expanding its business in electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology. Currently, Hyundai Motor is collaborating with Waymo, a subsidiary of Google's autonomous driving division, in the United States, while also developing technology through Motional, a subsidiary of the company. If combined with cooperation with Chinese companies, Hyundai is expected to establish a global autonomous driving technology network centered around the two major automotive markets of the United States and China.
The reason why Hyundai chose Chinese technology companies as partners is because China's autonomous driving technology has reached the world's leading level. Based on rich driving data and empirical experience, the technological level of these enterprises has been evaluated as over 90% of the world's top Google Waymo. In addition, Chinese autonomous driving companies are also paying attention to the Korean market. Baidu announced in July that it will collaborate with Kakao Mobility to enter the domestic Robotaxi market; Xiaopeng established a South Korean legal entity in the first half of this year to seek market entry; Momenta has also considered establishing a legal entity in South Korea.
