Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Munoz expressed confidence that the company's autonomous vehicles based on the Ioniq 5 will eventually become a common sight across the US.
Munoz made the remarks at the Future of Mobility track session of the 2026 Semafor World Economy summit held Tuesday in Washington, presenting its mobility strategy centered on autonomous driving, robotics and hydrogen.
"Autonomous driving is not the future — it is the present," Munoz asserted. "Even now, you can ride Waymo vehicles in San Francisco and Ioniq 5-based Motional robotaxis in Las Vegas, and in the future, you will be able to see Ioniq 5 autonomous vehicle throughout the US."
Munoz said Hyundai will secure self-driving technology through Motional, the autonomous driving joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv.
"Hyundai Motor Group will also deploy proprietary technologies on a large scale through Motional, and in the future, more autonomous driving technology will be equipped in consumer vehicles as well," he said.
Munoz also reaffirmed the company's plan to expand the use of robotics in manufacturing, including Atlas humanoid robots developed by Boston Dynamics, the robotics company under Hyundai Motor Group.
"By deploying Boston Dynamics' 'Atlas' on production lines, we will be able to see humanoids that assist with work that is difficult for humans to perform."
He stressed that robots are intended to support workers rather than replace them.
"We do not view robots as a means of workforce reduction; robots are meant to make workers' lives more comfortable," said Munoz. "Increasing productivity, reducing costs, and improving quality is precisely what we aim to achieve through 'physical AI,'"
Munoz attributed Hyundai's recent growth to the company's strategy of offering a broad range of powertrains.
"We have pursued a strategy of parallel deployment of internal combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs," said Munoz.
He said Hyundai recently adjusted plans at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, its electric vehicle production line in Georgia, to produce hybrid vehicles in addition to EVs.
"This is an example of how we initially focused on electrification but quickly pivoted our strategy in response to changing consumer demand," he said.
Munoz further highlighted hydrogen as a key future energy source, saying progress in hydrogen technology has enhanced effectiveness while reducing operational expenses.
"With significant advancements in hydrogen technology, stack efficiency, performance of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles has improved, and operating costs have decreased," he said. "In fact, we are currently using hydrogen electric trucks in HMGMA logistics."
Munoz highlighted hydrogen's applications across various uses. "We must overcome vague fears about hydrogen and enable it to be utilized in land, air and maritime transportation."
The Semafor World Economy conference is organized by US-based news platform Semafor and brings together chief executives from Fortune 500 companies, government officials and business leaders from around the world.
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, who is a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Semafor World Economy, also attended the forum. This year's Future Mobility track session was sponsored by Hyundai's Genesis.
sahn@heraldcorp.com
