Hyundai Motor and Kia signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday at Hyundai Motor Group's Namyang Research and Development Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.
Level 4 autonomous driving allows a vehicle to operate without human intervention within designated driving conditions and geographic areas.
Hyundai Motor and Kia will develop two specialized vehicles for the tests: one XCIENT hydrogen fuel-cell truck and one conventional XCIENT heavy-duty truck.
The program will test autonomous driving performance under different conditions, ranging from travel between cities and highways to long-distance cargo delivery.
Hyundai Motor and Kia aim to develop technology that can integrate different autonomous driving software systems with vehicle control platforms.