(Photo 1) (From left) Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division; Paul (Kyungwhoon) Cheun, President, CTO of DX Division at Samsung Electronics and Head of Samsung Research
SEOUL — Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation announced a technology partnership with Samsung Electronics to enhance the integration between software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and smartphones.
Hyundai Motor and Kia are working on a next-generation infotainment system and an open mobility ecosystem, in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group’s global software centre, 42dot. This development aims to provide a user-centred vehicle environment, enhancing the connectivity of the infotainment system set to be unveiled in 2026.
“Our goal is to enrich Hyundai Motor and Kia customers’ mobility experience by offering personalized services that extend beyond transportation, seamlessly integrating vehicles with smartphones,” said Chang Song, president and head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) division.
The companies will develop technology to organically link SDVs and the smartphone ecosystem using Samsung Electronics’ ‘SmartThings’. By integrating with the global Internet of Things (IoT) platform, they aim to enrich customers’ mobility experiences, connecting the entire process of vehicle use to smartphones.
“Through our collaboration with Hyundai and Kia, customers will experience the convenience of SmartThings not only at home but also in their vehicles, transcending space,” said Paul (Kyungwhoon) Cheun, president, CTO of DX division at Samsung Electronics and head of Samsung Research. “We will continue to expand the SmartThings ecosystem, offering new lifestyles and value to even more customers.”
Through this, Hyundai, Kia and Samsung will introduce a service for vehicle location verification. It will be expanded and advanced through integration with ‘SmartThings Find,’ offering a global vehicle location tracking service. The service is accessible via a crowdsourced network of Samsung Galaxy devices that use the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to report their location, without restrictions related to cellular coverage.
Hyundai Motor and Kia also intend to hold the ‘2025 Developer Conference’ in the first half of next year and announce plans to build an SDK, where external developers can directly participate and develop ‘killer apps’ as well as a vehicle app market for SDVs.
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