Hyundai says it will have self-driving technology ready for 2020

By Alexander Kalogianni Published March 31, 2015

hyundai 2020 autonomous car rumors news 2016 sonata plug in hybrid front pass detroit auto show — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Autonomous (aka ‘piloted’) car tech is certainly the talk of the automotive industry lately. Whether we want it or not, at least some advanced form of self-piloting car tech is on the way. Hyundai has now stated that it also plans to throw its hat in the autonomous driving ring for the near future.

According to Automotive News, Hyundai aims to have a car with autonomous driving capabilities ready by 2020, in an attempt to catch up with other automakers and their tech.

Contemporaries such as Audi have made great strides in self-driving car technology, having demonstrated the results with a self-driving A7 that lapped Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit and driving a 550-mile road trip. Audi has even recently reached out to students with a competition that challenges them to develop the best autonomous scale-model remote control cars.

Hyundai Blue Link smartwatch app — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Meanwhile, even non-automotive companies are exploring the technology, with Google being the most prominent player. Its driverless car is powered by a software called Google Chauffeur, and have taken the self-driving car further than others, producing a prototype with no steering wheel or direct driving controls at all.

If 2020 seems like a very specific number, keep in mind that while some companies may be ahead of the game, analysts predict that this will be the year when all the necessary regulations will be sorted out.

Hyundai has already added a few autonomous features to some of its vehicles. For instance, the Genesis sedan has pedestrian recognition software and will hit the brakes automatically when one is detected stepping out.

Will Hyundai develop a self-driving car? Probably not, but that isn’t the only definition of autonomous driving tech. Hyundai might implement a sort of “autopilot” where highway drivers can take their hands (and attention) off the wheel for long highway drives. Volvo has something similar in development, and it’s not going to be long until we see the different innovations by different brands overlap.

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Alexander Kalogianni

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…

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