Hyundai Motor, Kia and NVIDIA Expand Strategic Partnership for Next-Generation Autonomous Driving Technology

• Strategic collaboration combines Hyundai Motor Group's Software-Defined Vehicle expertise with NVIDIA's AI to accelerate data-driven autonomous vehicle development
• Expanded partnership positions Hyundai Motor Group as an autonomous driving ecosystem leader with scalable deployment strategy for Level 2 and above systems
• Collaboration to deploy safe, scalable autonomous driving across Hyundai Motor Group select vehicles and Motional robotaxi services

SEOUL, South Korea, March 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation announced today an expanded strategic partnership with NVIDIA to advance autonomous driving technology development. This broadened framework aims to drive the activation of the future autonomous vehicle ecosystem in the rapidly evolving global software-defined vehicle (SDV) and autonomous driving markets.

Hyundai Motor, Kia and NVIDIA Expand Strategic Partnership for Next-Generation Autonomous Driving Technology

Under this collaboration, Hyundai Motor, Kia, and NVIDIA will combine Hyundai Motor Group's proven SDV capabilities with NVIDIA's industry-leading autonomous driving technology to create next-generation autonomous driving solutions.

Hyundai Motor Group – grounded in its customer-centric philosophy of quality and safety – will integrate NVIDIA's autonomous driving technology of Level 2 and above in select vehicle models. This integration will enhance customer safety and convenience, positioning Hyundai Motor Group at the forefront of AI-defined driving.

Through its autonomous vehicle joint venture Motional, Hyundai Motor Group will advance discussions with NVIDIA to leverage new technologies in support of further advancements to its Level 4 robotaxi capabilities, while accelerating technology and service capability. This partnership represents a key milestone in Hyundai Motor Group's commitment to safe and reliable autonomous driving technology implementation.

This partnership is a strategic step for Hyundai Motor Group to accelerate the internalization of its proprietary driving AI, with data as the central driver. In the autonomous driving domain, competitive advantage is determined by both the excellence of foundation models and platforms and the continuous ability to generate and learn from high-quality, real-world driving data at scale. As Hyundai Motor and Kia continuously train their models using data collected under real-world driving conditions, Hyundai Motor Group is positioned to significantly strengthen its autonomous driving capabilities, including the development of proprietary AI models.

Hyundai Motor Group will leverage NVIDIA's expansive data platforms and AI technologies while systematically integrating all accumulated data into a unified learning pipeline. This strategic approach will enhance autonomous driving development maturity, enabling Hyundai Motor Group to respond comprehensively to market dynamics while accelerating the internalization of data-driven autonomous driving technology.

Building on the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion platform, Hyundai Motor Group will establish an integrated autonomous driving architecture scalable from Level 2 through to Level 4. Through the convergence of its in-house developed SDV architecture with NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion, Hyundai Motor Group aims to launch a data cycle of continuous improvement encompassing:

• Real-world driving data collection across Hyundai Motor Group's vehicle fleet
• AI model training and continuous performance improvement
• Deployment and validation in production vehicles

Hyundai Motor Group, including Motional, aims to fully internalize state-of-the-art autonomous driving technology and will simultaneously advance its internal autonomous driving technology development initiatives in parallel, ensuring continuous enhancement and strengthening its flexible global response capabilities.

"The expanded partnership with NVIDIA marks an important milestone in realizing Hyundai Motor Group's vision for safe and reliable autonomous driving technology. Based on a unified, Group‑wide collaborative framework, we will strengthen our differentiated technological competitiveness -- from Level 2 and above autonomous driving technology to Level 4 robotaxi services." – Heung-Soo Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Strategy Office of Hyundai Motor Group.

"The future of mobility will be built on AI and software. We're combining Hyundai Motor Group's leadership in vehicle engineering with NVIDIA's accelerated computing and AI to build safe, intelligent, NVIDIA DRIVE-based autonomous driving systems -- from advanced driver assistance in select production vehicles to scalable robotaxi services with Motional." – Rishi Dhall, Vice President of Automotive at NVIDIA.

More information about Hyundai Motor Group can be found at: http://www.hyundaimotorgroup.com or Newsroom: Media Hub by Hyundai, Kia Global Media Center (kianewscenter.com), Genesis Newsroom

* Disclaimer: The information contained in this press release relates to matters that are subject to ongoing discussions between the parties and may be amended or updated. The specific structure, scope, timeline, and other details of the proposed cooperation will be finalized through a separate definitive agreement to be executed by the parties.

SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation

Seoyong Choi, [email protected]