Hyundai is planning scores of new human-driven cars while Tesla is turning away from the steering wheel. In New York City, Hyundai Motor celebrated the reveal of its newest Tucson sport-utility vehicle, one of more than 100 new or refreshed vehicles it has planned globally by 2030. Hyundai Motor Chief Executive José Muñoz is using the legacy car business to build a bridge to a more-distant robot future.
In 2025, Muñoz rose to CEO as Hyundai’s electric-vehicle offerings, combined with its affiliate Kia, increasingly provided some of the most serious competition in the U.S. to Tesla in the all-EV categories. Hyundai begins production of robotaxis for Alphabet’s Waymo and is working on its own autonomous-vehicle tech with joint venture Motional. Muñoz has been touting plans to build 30,000 Boston Dynamics robots annually, including the Atlas humanoid robot, in 2028 at what he has called the “world’s first large-scale commercial robotics manufacturing facility.” Hyundai has been bucking the industry trend with a redesign rate above average, picking up market share in the U.S. Tesla’s most recent new car, the Cybercab, doesn’t have a steering wheel and is part of its nascent robotaxi fleet.
Musk has suggested the Cybercab might go on sale by year’s end.
Source: Wall Street Journal US Business · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing