Hyundai, together with autonomous vehicle tech company Aurora, have put together a strategic partnership said to result in Level 4 self-driving cars hitting the market by the year 2021.
Initially, the partnership will focus on the ongoing development of both hardware and software required for Level 4 automation, which generally refers to vehicles able to operate without human input or oversight under select conditions.
“We know the future of transportation is autonomous, and autonomous driving technology needs to be proven in the real-world to accelerate deployment in a safe and scalable manner,” said Hyundai Vice Chairman, Dr. Woong Chul Yang.
“Combining our advanced vehicle technology that embeds the latest safety features with Aurora’s leading suite of Level 4 autonomous technology will advance this revolution in mobility with Hyundai in a leadership position.”
For Hyundai, this partnership reflects the automaker’s ongoing efforts towards achieving fully autonomous driving. The Korean brand first began testing self-driving cars on public roads in the U.S. back in 2015, after being granted a license by the state of Nevada. During last year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2017), autonomous IONIQ models served to demonstrate these technologies to the public.
Meanwhile, a new-generation Hyundai fuel-cell vehicle will debut at CES 2018 next week, its powertrain said to offer an ideal platform for implementing autonomous driving systems.
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