Hyundai Motor sets up AI research arm CoMo China

Hyundai Motor Co. in December established CoMo China in Shanghai to spearhead artificial intelligence research and development in its push for software-defined vehicles (SDVs) in the world’s largest automobile market, according to foreign media reports on Monday.

The new subsidiary with an initial equity capital of 213 million yuan ($29.4 million) is expected to strengthen Hyundai Motor’s ties with the city of Shanghai to develop future mobility based on autonomous driving and the Internet of Things.

Shanghai is building a smart transport ecosystem, including SDVs. The city has opened 2,200 kilometers of its roads for autonomous driving tests.

CoMo China will team up with the South Korean carmaker’s other R&D centers there: Hyundai Motor Group Advanced & Digital R&D Center in Shanghai set up in 2020 and Yuanti Hyundai Motor R&D Center.

This year, Bejing Hyundai Motor Co. is scheduled to unveil its first electric vehicle tailored to Chinese consumers. The vehicle will be embedded with Chinese autonomous driving software developer Haomo.AI’s generative AI.

Next year, the joint venture between Hyundai and BAIC will roll out five other eco-friendly models, including a hybrid one.

To launch the new cars, Hyundai and BAIC each injected $547.7 million into the joint venture in December.

Beijing Hyundai aims to export 100,000 units this year, more than double last year’s shipment of 44,638 units.

In China, Hyundai has scaled back its production capacity in the face of sagging sales. After selling its plant in Chongqing last year, it now operates three factories.

In 2024, its sales in China nosedived 86% to 154,200 units, compared with 1.14 million units in 2016 before the country restricted imports from South Korea in retaliation for Seoul’s deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system in 2017.

Write to Bo-Hyung Kim at kph21c@hankyung.com
 


Yeonhee Kim edited this article.