Hyundai Motor Group announced on August 12 that its autonomous driving joint venture with Aptive has been named Motional.

The automaker had announced a joint venture in March with Aptive -- a self-driving technology company -- as it seeks to develop and commercialize its autonomous technology for vehicles.

According to Hyundai, Motional is a combination of words “motion” and “emotional,” to indicate mobility centered on safety and human values. 

Motional is currently developing and commercializing SAE Level 4 vehicles, which means the autonomous vehicle performs all driving tasks without a driver’s involvement, the company said.

Motional will begin testing fully driverless systems this year, and also supply its driverless systems and supporting technology to robotaxi providers and fleet operators by 2022.

“Motional, in all of its previous forms, has been leading driverless technology for decades. Our DNA, a combination of Aptiv’s expertise in advanced technology and Hyundai’s leadership in both vehicle manufacturing and research and development, is uniquely powerful, and positions us to fundamentally change how people travel,” said Motional President and CEO Karl Iagnemma.

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun also said he was excited about the latest developments.

“For more than half a century, Hyundai Motor Group has been powering the dreams of people around the world. Motional represents the next frontier of innovation as it pioneers a new era of safe, accessible and green transportation,” Chung said in the press release.

“We have a long history of being on the cutting edge of automotive technology and look forward to continuing that legacy with Motional.”

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)