The Hyundai Motor Group – which includes Genesis and Kia – pledges to sell only Software Defined Vehicles (SDV) by the middle of the decade. What does that actually mean? Essentially, all three South Korean brands will exclusively sell cars with support for over-the-air updates to improve safety and performance even after purchasing the vehicle. Improvements in terms of connectivity, convenience, and security will also be included in future OTA updates.
HMG is referring not only to EVs but also to vehicles powered by combustion engines as well. Every new product launching from 2023 onwards will be equipped with the necessary hardware and software to remotely receive OTA updates without having to go to a dealer. The service was initially launched in 2021 and will extend across the portfolios of all three brands within the next three years.
2023 Genesis G90
The automotive conglomerate also aims to introduce Features on Demand (FoD), which means owners will be able to add goodies even after buying the car. As we've already seen in some luxury brands, customers will have the possibility to buy these add-ons outright or get a subscription. A level 3 autonomous driving system as an FoD is being considered. In the meantime, the Genesis G90 will receive the tech as a standalone option before the end of the year, initially in South Korea before being rolled out in the US, Europe, and China.
These reveals were made at the Group's Unlock the Software Age global online forum during which two new electric platforms were announced, eM and eS, ahead of a double launch in 2025. The former will boost range on a single charge by 50 percent compared to the current crop of EVs and will support OTA updates as well as a Level 3 autonomous driving system. The latter will be a skateboard architecture to serve as the foundation for purpose-built vehicles destined for car-hailing, logistics, and delivery sectors.
Between now and the end of the decade, HMG will spend 18 trillion won (nearly $13 billion at current exchange rates) on R&D to prepare for a software-driven future.
