Hyundai Trying to Speed Self-Driving Tech

Like all automakers, Hyundai is working on self-driving technology.

Now, it’s trying to get its tech to market even earlier than planned.

To be clear, we’re not talking about full autonomous driving, but rather a Level 3 system that allows for autonomous driving for short period of time in certain conditions.

How Hyundai Stacks Up to Others

Tesla’s AutoPilot is such a system, and it’s already on the market. General Motors has a similar SuperCruise system planned for Cadillac and Audi is working on something similar for its A8 flagship sedan.

Hyundai’s system is called Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA2) and the company says it provides near Level 3 tech on freeways and that it will operate with minimal driver intervention. Hyundai is moving the system’s launch timeline ahead by a year with the hopes that it will be easier to meet its goal of selling a fully autonomous car by 2022.

Hyundai isn’t a name that’s synonymous with autonomous driving – most of that attention has gone to General Motors, Tesla, and others. So this is clearly an attempt for the brand to get out ahead of the others in the space.

Could This System Show Up in Genesis Vehicles?

Our guess is that this tech will show up in both vehicles in the Genesis line – the G80 and G90 – and perhaps in the top trim Sonatas. It will likely be marketed as a luxury feature.

Having HDA2 ready for the market sooner will also help Hyundai get real-world feedback on how well the system works as it preps for Level 4 autonomy.

TechCrunch, Electric Times