The autonomous driving joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv has been given a name and brand identity: Motional. (See video below.)
Launched virtually to its employees around the world, the the companies say they are “making driverless vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality”.
Formed by Hyundai Motor Group, one of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers offering smart mobility solutions, and Aptiv, one of the industry’s most innovative technology providers, the joint venture was established in March 2020 to advance the development and commercialization of the world’s highest-performing and safest autonomous vehicles.
Karl Iagnemma, president and CEO, Motional, says: “Motional, in all of its previous forms, has been leading driverless technology for decades.
“Our DNA – a combination of Aptiv’s expertise in advanced technology and Hyundai’s leadership in both vehicle manufacturing and R&D – is uniquely powerful, and positions us to fundamentally change how people move through their lives.
“What we’re building is more relevant than ever. The pandemic has challenged the global community to re-think transportation, and governments and individuals want more and better options. We’re excited to bring driverless technology safely and comfortably into everyday life.”
Motional is developing and commercializing SAE Level 4 vehicles – autonomous vehicles that perform all driving tasks.
Motional will begin testing fully driverless systems in 2020, and its driverless systems and supporting technology will be available for robotaxi providers and fleet operators in 2022.
The meaning of Motional
Motional connects two words: motion and emotional. “Motion” speaks to the movement of driverless vehicles enabled by the company’s technology, as well as its decades of experience moving the industry forward. “Emotional” evokes the company’s people-first approach – the focus on safety and reliability that ultimately delivers peace of mind.
Iagnemma says: “We’re leaders in this space. We’ve interacted with more real passengers on real roads than anyone else. Our logo is a bold, strong mark reflective of how we’ll continue to confidently lead this industry and the future of transportation.”
Kevin Clark, president and CEO, Aptiv, says: “Motional is a strong name that will signify to consumers they are riding in a driverless vehicle that is safe for passengers, cities, and the environment.
“As Motional works to transform mobility with its production-ready autonomous driving system, Aptiv will help pave the way for self-driving vehicles with our advanced ADAS platform that saves lives today and builds trust in highly-automated vehicles.”
Euisun Chung, executive vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, says: “For more than half a century, Hyundai Motor Group has been powering the dreams of people around the world. Motional represents the next frontier of innovation as the company pioneers a new era of safe, accessible and green transportation.
“We have a long history of being on the cutting edge of automotive technology and look forward to continuing that legacy with Motional.”
Motional’s road ahead
Motional is led by driverless technology pioneers who participated in the historic DARPA Grand Challenge, and founded nuTonomy and Ottomatika, early leaders in the space.
The Motional team was behind some of the industry’s largest leaps forward, including the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the US, the launch of the world’s first robotaxi pilot (Singapore; 2016), and operation of the world’s most-established public robotaxi fleet (Las Vegas; 2018 to present).
That fleet has provided over 100,000 rides, with 98 percent of riders rating their experience five-out-of-five stars.
Motional is based in Boston, with teams in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, Singapore, and Seoul. The newest office, Seoul, will serve as a key technology hub and testing location. Motional’s team is expanding quickly.
