Hyundai Motor Group to test AI-driven autonomous vehicles in Gwangju Published: 13 May. 2026, 15:38 Updated: 13 May. 2026, 15:50 Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday it will join a government-led autonomous vehicle demonstration project in the southwestern city of Gwangju to test and advance its mobility solutions. Hyundai Motor and Kia signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Gwangju city government and mobility startups, including Autonomous A2Z and Ride Flux, during a ceremony in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers (167 miles) southwest of Seoul. Under the agreement, the two automakers will develop around 200 autonomous vehicles based on the Ioniq 5 electric vehicle and operate autonomous mobility services in Gwangju, including vehicle dispatching and fleet control. Atria AI, an autonomous driving software developed by Hyundai Motor's subsidiary, 42dot, will analyze road-driving data collected through the program to help test and improve autonomous driving capabilities. The project aims to achieve technology equivalent to Level 4 autonomous driving, in which vehicles can handle all driving tasks within designated areas without human intervention. The government said it will support the project by easing regulations and providing policy support packages aimed at turning Gwangju into a special zone for autonomous vehicles. "We cannot afford to fall behind autonomous driving front-runners, such as the United States and China," Transport Minister Kim Yun-duk said, outlining the government's vision of making Korea one of the world's top three players in autonomous mobility solutions. Yonhap with the Korea JoongAng Daily To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts. Standards Board Policy (0/250자)