Hyundai is currently in discussions with Google, seeking external expertise in order to remain competitive in terms of connectivity, and perhaps even autonomous vehicle development.
According to Hyundai Motor president Jeong Jin Haeng, the two companies have multiple common areas that may require cooperation.
Jeong however didn’t mention if the Korean automaker is indeed considering developing autonomous cars with the help of Google, but since both Hyundai and their affiliate Kia Motors have shied away from joint ventures that could make high-cost, low-volume electric vehicles, a change in strategy might be what’s needed.
As reported by Autonews, Hyundai might be looking to change their “go-it-alone” strategy and join forces with tech startups and Silicon Valley giants in order to stay relevant in the coming era of ultra-connected and autonomous vehicles.
“Hyundai is lagging behind the competition to develop autonomous vehicles,” said Ko Tae Bong, senior auto analyst at Hi Investment & Securities Co. “It’s not a choice but a critical prerequisite for Hyundai to cooperate with IT companies, such as Google, to survive in the near future.”
Even though Google said they have no timetable for making self-driving cars available to the public, their prototypes have currently logged more than 1.7 million miles (2.7 million km).
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