SAN JOSE, Calif. — Hyundai Motor Group said it will fend off Chinese rivals and press its bid for the industry lead through physical AI engineering, which applies artificial intelligence to machines that operate in the real world. The group said leading in physical AI requires engineers who combine deep technical skill with the ability to work with AI, and signaled an aggressive push to recruit talent globally.
Hyundai Motor Group held the HMG Tech Talent Forum 2026 at the San Jose Convention Center in California on the 17th. Senior executives turned out in force to lay out the group's vision before about 230 attendees, including President Jose Munoz, Min-woo Park, head of the Advanced Vehicle Platform division and chief executive of 42dot, Manfred Harrer, head of research and development, and Hye-in Kim, head of human resources.
Munoz said diversity, evident from the executive ranks up, is the group's core competitive strength. "We are not just a Korean company but a truly global organization," he said.
He also pointed to the group's gains in global markets, including plans to launch more than 100 new models worldwide and an agreement to supply the Ioniq 5 for Waymo's robotaxi service.
"We are not an ordinary automaker that simply builds cars, but a physical AI and technology company that also manufactures cars," he said, adding that the group is "sharply expanding into robotics, purpose-built mobility, software-defined vehicles and connectivity."
Munoz also invoked founder Chung Ju-yung's well-known line, "Have you even tried it?" to underscore the group's culture and philosophy of taking on challenges.
"Our competitors, especially the Chinese, are challenging us strongly and moving far faster than anything we have experienced so far," Harrer said. "That makes us sharper, faster and better."
"My ambition is not only to close the gap with the No. 1 player, but for Hyundai to become the benchmark for a truly advanced engineering organization," Harrer said, "because we have the ability to deliver across several fields at the same time." He said those fields include vehicle hardware and software, batteries and hydrogen, and robotics, adding that "this is also a great opportunity for engineers who want to take on demanding but genuinely important problems."
Harrer said the group has built infrastructure across its research and development centers worldwide that competitors do not have. "I have worked with many automakers, and Hyundai is very impressive," he said. "The centers in Europe, the U.S., China and India are all strong engineering hubs. That was one of the things that impressed me most when I joined Hyundai Motor Group. This is far more powerful than a centralized approach."
"The key is to use AI on top of this solid foundation to accelerate development," Harrer said. "What matters here is how we combine decades of accumulated real-world engineering experience with virtual development and the speed of AI. I want our organization to take a leading role at exactly that point." He said the group has "global scale and a strong engineering foundation," adding that "building a leading engineering organization requires people who are curious, ambitious and ready to take responsibility."
Park said the group can draw on its scale, its data and its outlook. "That is why I believe Hyundai can build physical AI that breaks down walls," he said. "Engineering is no longer simply about writing software code. It is about improving how millions of people move, travel and depart." He added: "The winner will not be whoever has the most data, but whoever learns from data the fastest. Hyundai Motor Group is positioned to do that."
