Hyundai Motor Group's 2026 Strategy: Customer-Led Execution, AI at the Core, and a Stronger Ecosystem
Hyundai Motor Group set a clear 2026 direction centered on five priorities: customer-focused evolution, agile decision-making, ecosystem competitiveness, bold collaboration, and leading new industry standards. Executive Chair Euisun Chung outlined a plan built on action, not slogans: stay close to customers, speed up decisions, strengthen the supply base, partner with intent, and set the benchmarks others follow.
The message is direct: treat AI as the engine of the business, not a bolt-on. Build capabilities that compound-across vehicles, robots, manufacturing, and software-while keeping quality and customer trust at the center.
The Five Strategic Priorities
- Customer-focused evolution: Let customer insight drive product, quality, and service choices.
- Agile decision-making: Increase speed and clarity by engaging directly in the field.
- Ecosystem competitiveness: Strengthen suppliers and partners to raise end-to-end performance.
- Bold collaboration: Partner widely to advance AI in vehicles, robotics, and manufacturing.
- Lead new standards: Set industry and product benchmarks through execution and persistence.
Customer Focus as the Operating System
Chung asked leaders to run a simple test before every decision: Did we fully reflect the customer's perspective? Did we compromise in planning or development? Can we stand in front of customers and speak confidently about quality?
That level of honesty builds resilience. It also keeps teams aimed at what matters: value, reliability, and trust.
Faster Decisions Through Direct Engagement
Leaders were urged to get out of conference rooms and into the field. Speed improves when decision-makers see the facts firsthand.
Chung's call: communicate clearly, remove formality, and make choices faster. Fresh thinking plus faster execution equals progress.
Build Advantage Through Ecosystem Strength
Vehicles and humanoid robots depend on tens of thousands of components. Performance at scale comes from a healthy supply base, not one-off heroics.
Strengthen quality across the chain, and competitiveness rises. Sustainable growth follows when the whole system stays healthy.
AI Through Bold Collaboration
Chung positioned AI as the decisive factor in product competitiveness, especially in automotive. The Group is building top-tier capabilities by combining product design and manufacturing strengths with unique data from vehicles, robots, and plants.
He was explicit: companies that internalize AI will define the future. Hyundai Motor Group sees an edge in physical AI-where software meets hardware-accelerated through broad, purposeful partnerships.
Executive Roundtable: From Vision to Execution
Senior leaders discussed AI integration, technology roadmaps, and culture, informed by a global employee survey of more than 7,200 participants. Chung framed AI as the first technology that can define problems and create new knowledge-reason enough to embed it into the organization's DNA.
The focus now: apply AI across products and operations, use proprietary data to differentiate, and make it a core capability rather than a rented one.
SDV, Robotics, and Hydrogen: Momentum and Proof
Vice Chair Jaehoon Chang reaffirmed the Group's push to become a software-driven mobility company. The SDV program remains on track, with deployments planned across multiple models and continued collaboration with 42dot.
On robotics, collaboration with Boston Dynamics continues to advance hardware and physical AI. Stretch and Spot are already gathering real-world data and improving on performance, safety, and cost. Humanoid robot Atlas aims to move people away from hazardous and repetitive work and into higher-value roles.
Chang also highlighted leadership across the hydrogen value chain-from production and storage to mobility and industrial use. For broader context on hydrogen's role in energy systems, see the International Energy Agency's overview here.
Business Leaders on Growth and Risk
Hyundai Motor Company CEO José Muñoz outlined plans to limit tariff exposure through localization and supply adjustments while doubling down on core strengths. Kia CEO Ho Sung Song set a growth target above 6% and plans to build out the PBV ecosystem around the PV5, alongside launches like the new Telluride and Seltos.
Hyundai Mobis CEO Gyu Suk Lee committed to supporting new architectures and the mass production of SDV. Strategy chief Sung Kim emphasized tighter monitoring and quicker responses to economic and geopolitical shifts. R&D head Manfred Harrer confirmed the "SDV Pace Car" program is proceeding as planned, with its tech flowing into next-gen models.
On culture, HR lead Hae In Kim stressed learning from experience and combining strengths. Design chief Luc Donckerwolke called for bold innovation-reset, disrupt, and build what customers will love.
What Strategy Leaders Can Apply Now
- Run customer reality checks before greenlighting plans; tie them to measurable quality outcomes.
- Cut decision latency: shorten approval chains, move reviews on-site, and time-box choices.
- Invest in data pipelines across products, robots, and factories to fuel physical AI use cases.
- Upgrade supplier development and joint quality programs; align incentives across the ecosystem.
- Localize where it reduces tariff exposure and improves supply resilience.
- Build AI fluency at the leadership level to avoid shallow use cases; consider targeted upskilling through curated programs such as AI courses by job role.
Leading New Standards
Chung closed with a push to set new industry and product standards while keeping customers front and center. He cited Founding Chairman Ju-yung Chung: "If there is no path, find one. If you cannot find one, make one. As long as I do not think it is a failure, it cannot be a failure."
The takeaway is simple: keep evolving with customers, move faster, strengthen the ecosystem, and treat AI as core infrastructure. That's how the Group plans to create superior value and stay ahead.
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