[THE INVESTOR] Israeli self-driving car technology maker Mobileye co-founder and CEO Amnon Shashua is planning to visit Hyundai Motor’s headquarters in Seoul to strengthen partnership on autonomous car technology. 

Citing industry sources, Money Today reported on Oct. 16 that Shashua and an R&D official are to meet with Hyundai executives on Oct. 17 during their two-day trip. 

Sources project Shashua will likely meet Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun, but the auto giant was unavailable to confirm the report. 

Hyundai and Mobileye -- considered a leader in digital vision technology for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems -- have been pursuing a partnership on self-driven cars. The two are currently said to be developing related technologies for future Hyundai cars. 

The tie-up picked up momentum following the Hyundai heir’s visit to Israel in May to meet the Mobileye top brass, including Shashua. In June, a working-level group of Hyundai employees flew to Israel again to discuss details. 

Korea’s largest carmaker has been revving up its effort to develop internet-connected cars and driverless technology. As a part of such efforts, Hyundai has been busy forming partnerships with tech firms. 

It is collaborating with Cisco to develop a connected car platform, and recently, clinched a deal with China’s Baidu. “We expect to see more collaboration with other IT firms in the future to provide eco-friendly cars and develop future technologies,” Chung was quoted as saying in June. 

Mobileye, which was recently acquired by US chipmaker Intel, has been expanding partnerships with global carmakers to roll out autonomous cars. It has formed an alliance with BMW and Delphi to deliver a self-driving car by 2021.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)