Hyundai Motor Group on Jan. 5 shared its 2026 strategic vision with global employees, with Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun presenting priorities focused on continuous customer-focused transformation, strengthened ecosystem competitiveness, and AI-driven innovation to navigate evolving market dynamics and lead new industry standards.
During his new year remarks, Executive Chair Chung presented five key strategic priorities — customer-focused evolution, agile decision-making, ecosystem competitiveness, bold collaboration, and leading new industry standards — to navigate the evolving global landscape.
Executive Chair Chung opened by expressing gratitude to employees and customers, acknowledging 2025’s unprecedented business environment changes while thanking employees for their exceptional performance and customers for their continued trust.
He noted that 2026 will bring both headwinds and opportunities as the global business landscape continues to evolve rapidly.
Chung emphasized continuous transformation driven by customer insights.
“When conditions get tough and competition fierce, our greatest strength will be our ability to continuously evolve by staying close to our customers,” he said.
Specifically, he encouraged employees to take a moment and assess fundamental questions. “Did we thoroughly reflect customers’ perspectives in our products? Did we ever compromise in the process of planning or development? Can we confidently speak of our quality in front of customers? Through these questions, we can look back upon ourselves squarely and strive for progress, thereby keeping ourselves resilient against any challenges,” he said.
Executive Chair Chung welcomed transformation in work methods and leadership. “Leaders must step out into the field, engage directly with people, and understand the essence of situations firsthand,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of speed and clarity in organizational operations.
“Above all, what matters most is fast and clear communication, and agile decision-making that is free from formality. Let us work more efficiently,” he said, highlighting that by fresh thinking of its approaches, the Group can continue to achieve innovation.
Building Competitive Advantage Through Ecosystem Strength
Executive Chair Chung reinforced the importance of ecosystem strength, noting that Group businesses such as vehicle and humanoid robot manufacturing involves tens of thousands of components, requiring exceptional performance and quality across the entire production chain.
“The strength of our supply ecosystem directly amplifies our competitive advantage. Sustainable growth is possible only when the whole ecosystem stays healthy,” he said.
Executive Chair Chung emphasized that as AI technology rapidly develops and competitive dynamics shift, the global manufacturing industry is undergoing a major transition.
He highlighted the need to advance through bold collaboration with diverse partners in navigating this AI-driven transformation.
“Looking at the automotive market alone, we’ve entered an era where core product competitiveness is determined by AI capabilities,” he noted.
Chung emphasized that Hyundai Motor Group is rapidly building capabilities to compete at the highest level, leveraging world-class product design and manufacturing expertise, plus valuable data from manufacturing sites and user experiences.
He shared his strong belief in the Group’s competitiveness in the physical AI field and how this will continue to grow to serve customers.
“We possess world-class capabilities in the design and manufacturing of physical products. If we envision a bigger future and boldly expand collaboration with various partners to broaden the industrial ecosystem, I am confident we will deliver greater value to customers,” he said.
Hyundai Motor Group’s Robotics LAB Unveils AI Plan at CES Foundry 2026
Hyundai Motor Group’s Robotics LAB revealed a pivotal accomplishment in physical artificial intelligence (AI) technology at the inaugural CES Foundry 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 8, showcasing the outcomes of its strategic three-year partnership with AI semiconductor specialist DEEPX.
The announcement marks the start of mass production for an “edge brain” on-device AI chip, co-developed by the Robotics LAB and DEEPX, with DEEPX producing the chip that integrates the Robotics LAB’s proprietary software.
This collaboration is critical for empowering robots to act autonomously without external connectivity.
As part of the newly established CES Foundry — a dedicated exhibition at CES 2026 spotlighting innovations in AI, blockchain, and quantum technologies — the Group’s milestone contribution exemplifies how these groundbreaking advancements intersect with real-world applications.
“Hyundai Motor Group’s Robotics LAB is not just focused on building robots but on creating a sustainable robotics ecosystem. Our aim is to deliver real value at the final touchpoint of the Physical AI pipeline, where users directly interact with the technology, and to make efficient, smart, and low-power robots accessible to a wider audience,” said Dong Jin Hyun, Vice President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group’s Robotics LAB.
Following three years of collaboration with DEEPX initiated by a 2023 memorandum of understanding (MOU), the two companies co-developed the AI chip, with the Robotics LAB designing the control software applied to the chip and DEEPX leading its production.
The ultra-low power chip consumes less than 5 watts of power during operation and serves as an “edge AI brain”, enabling robots to recognize their surroundings in real time and make autonomous decisions and controls without cloud or network connectivity.
This core technology for physical AI implementation provides the foundation for robots to operate reliably in everyday life and industrial settings.
This technology has already been integrated into the Robotics LAB’s technologies, including Facey, a cutting-edge facial recognition technology currently under development, and DAL-e Delivery, an advanced delivery robot currently in the demonstration and validation phase.
Going forward, it will be applied sequentially to the Robotics LAB’s AI security solutions and next-generation mobile robots.
The future roadmap of the Group’s Robotics LAB focuses on going beyond individual robot products to providing “Robotics Total Solution (RTS),” integrating hardware and software.
The development of the on-device AI chip exemplifies this approach, as it merges the Robotics LAB’s control software expertise with DEEPX’s AI semiconductor capabilities.
This collaboration has also enabled the Group to secure optimized solutions in advance for future mass-produced robots, while simultaneously enhancing flexibility and stability within its supply chain.
Ensuring such robots can operate effectively in real-world environments is crucial to addressing societal challenges such as aging populations, industrial safety concerns, and labor shortages.
To this end, the Group anticipates that the on-device AI chip developed through this initiative will enable the establishment of stable physical AI infrastructure to help combat such challenges.
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