Hyundai, Kia and Baidu join hands to develop connected and self-driving technology for cars

According to Yonhap news agency, on April 28, South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its subsidiary Kia Corp. announced that they had reached an agreement with Chinese technology group Baidu to develop connected car technologies.

According to a memorandum of understanding signed in Beijing (China) last week, the three companies will cooperate in a range of areas including connectivity technology and self-driving technologies.

Hyundai and Kia will use Baidu's intelligent cloud computing technology to comply with China's data regulations. Korean companies will also explore new business models to exploit artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with Baidu.

The deal comes amid a growing market for connected cars in China. Hyundai cited Chinese figures that annual sales of connected cars in China are expected to reach 17 million this year, up from 7.2 million in 2019.

Connected cars are solutions that enable cars to connect and transmit data via the Internet. The solution includes many features and applications such as: automatic notification when collisions or accidents occur; contact support when problems such as vehicle breakdown, running out of fuel; support for location and tracking features...

Since 2014, Hyundai and Kia have worked closely with Baidu in many areas, including developing voice recognition technology.