Hyundai

Looking to reduce fossil fuels in transportation, Hyundai has the solution: a nuclear container ship

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About 80% of world trade is moves by sea. Although it may seem like slower transportation, something key to maintaining prices is moving a large amount of material on each trip, something that is out of the reach of trucks, trains and planes. There, the huge container ships They lead the way with the associated problem of enormous spending on fossil fuels. The industry is looking for alternatives to operate no carbon emissions and Hyundai has a clear path. A nuclear container ship. Pioneer. HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering is the naval branch of the company and, in 2025, they presented a model of container ship nuclear seeking to eliminate emissions of a large ship with electric propulsion powered by a small nuclear reactor. The reactor type would be an SMR with thorium-based fuel and liquid salt as a coolant. After months working on the plan, this 2026 HD and ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) they arrived to an agreement to jointly develop the vessel. This is something that is in the design and subsequent prototype phase, but the agreement between the two lays the foundations for the development of a ship that is expected to be the first nuclear container ship. 16,000 TEU class. The class of a container ship is measured by the TEU, or Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit. Basically, x number of 20-foot-long containers, 16,000 containers at a time in the case of the Hyundai ship. It is far from the 20,000 and 25,000 TEU vesselsbut it will be a step forward in the maritime mobility of the future. Furthermore, the ship will not need to be as massive as others thanks, precisely, to that nuclear propulsion. By replacing the conventional machinery of diesel engines, exhaust systems and huge fuel tanks with a nuclear compartment and electrical systems, there is free space to transport more containers while maintaining the ship’s compact size. Compact within what these monsters are. Armor. To guarantee radiological safety, what this ship must include is a double stainless steel tank shielding system designed to ensure that there are no radiation leaks to both the inhabited areas of the ship and the ocean. The liquid salt itself as a coolant will also act as a safety measure against reactors that require pressurized or boiling water. If SMR stands for ‘Small Modular Reactor‘, MSR respond to ‘Molten Salt Reactor’, and basically means that, in case of emergency, the salt mixture can solidify to stop the reaction, being another security measure. all the sense. For now, the Hyundai ship has received the approval of its partner – an advantage of being the body that is also in charge of these things – but it is a project. The next steps are development and prototype, so there is still no authorization for the construction of the ship. However, it makes perfect sense for container ships to switch to nuclear propulsion. It is something that we have already seen on large ships like aircraft carrier and submarinesand the main advantage (apart from reducing emissions) is that life on the high seas depends solely on how much food can be loaded on board. Obviously, the investment is more expensive initially because it is not cheap to change the mobility paradigm, but it would not be tied to fluctuations in the price of fuel for transportation, something that we have been seeing recurrently in recent years and that, obviously, changes the shipping price. Alternatives. Hyundai is not the only one in this race and its national competitor Samsung also has a project in the oven. China, or Norway, transport heavyweights, They also have concepts of container ships powered by nuclear reactors. In the end, the industry must move because the International Maritime Organization is regulating greenhouse emissions and demanded reductions of 20% by 2030 with the aim of achieving neutrality by 2050. A render of China’s nuclear container ship In that sense, maritime transport not only represents 80% of the transport of all goods, but is responsible for 3% of global CO2 emissions of human origin. Now, nuclear electric motors are not the only way and recently we are seeing that the industry is exploring the path of battery electrification and even the return of a technology that seemed forgotten: the candles. Image | hyundai In Xataka | The West stopped building nuclear power plants because they were too expensive: China is teaching it a lesson

Hyundai imagines factories full of humanoid robots. A Korean union has said ‘not so fast’

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Hyundai has been building a very specific story for months about the future of its factories, one in which humanoid robots go from being a distant promise to a real industrial tool. The image is powerful and connects with a global race to automate increasingly complex processes, but in South Korea that discourse has already found its first limit. Even before robots enter production lines, the union has come forward to make its position clear and warn that any changes that impact employment will have to be negotiated. A clear warning. Hyundai Motor Union has made it clear that “Without an agreement between the company and workers, not a single robot can enter South Korean plants,” stressing that any decision with an impact on employment must go through the negotiation table. The message connects directly with the current collective agreement, which requires all measures that affect work to be subject to debate and joint approval. With this positioning, the introduction of humanoids is emerging as one of the possible reasons for friction between worker representatives and the Asian corporation. Fear that South Korea will lose prominence. The union links automation to a broader movement of industrial reorganization, marked by the growth of manufacturing in the United States. As they explain, the planned increase in capacity at the US plant could end up subtracting volume from factories in South Korea, and they maintain that two centers would already be suffering from a lack of workload. In this context, humanoids are interpreted not only as a technological tool, but as an element that can accelerate job adjustments if it is not accompanied by clear guarantees regarding the maintenance of employment. The starting point of the discussion. This comes after Hyundai introduced Atlas, the humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamicsas a key piece of its medium-term industrial strategy. The firm assured that it plans to progressively integrate it into its global network of factories starting in 2028. It also explained that these robots are designed to take on general industrial tasks and work alongside people, with the aim of reducing physical effort and taking on potentially dangerous jobs. Of course, he avoided specifying how many units he will deploy in the first phase or how much the project will cost. First in the United States. The manufacturer has already begun to draw how it wants to industrialize this bet. The group has explained that it will build a specific plant in the United States for the production of robots, a factory dedicated to producing Atlas on a large scale in the coming years. The first operational destination would be at the Georgia plant, known as HMGMAwhere humanoids would initially be used in very specific tasks, such as classifying and sequencing parts for the assembly line. The small labor print. Hyundai’s commitment is part of a much broader race to bring humanoid robots to the industry. Companies such as Tesla, Amazon or the Chinese manufacturer BYD have announced similar plans, although with different degrees of maturity. Some projects have already gone from demonstration to real work, such as the robot Figure 01 in a BMW plantwhere he performs support tasks autonomously. These are still limited and highly supervised experiences, but sufficient to show that the leap from the laboratory to the factory has already begun. Images | hyundai In Xataka | 100% autonomous factories where it is not necessary to turn on the light: China is already considering manufacturing cars only with robots in 2030

Porsche is approaching a turning point in its history with the electric 718. And they are very clear on who to look at: Hyundai

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In September 2019, Porsche finally presented the Taycanits first fully electric car. Well, we should better say something like “the first electric car of the modern era of Porsche“Be that as it may, the truth is that the car was a meteorite in the sports car industry. With the Porsche Taycan, the Germans had a statement of intent on their hands. With him they showed that their pulse was not going to tremble with that launch an electric car on the market no matter how much tradition and history it had behind it. Furthermore, they showed that they were one step ahead of the competition. With that electric car they could achieve scandalous figures… and dizzying sensations. Although we could expect modest sales, the truth is that the car achieved the embrace of the public and a very high volume of purchases. The cruising pace encouraged the company to think that yes, they had a market to exploit. Together with the strategy of a business group that is governed by European emissions regulations, it seemed clear that the majority of Porsche cars They would end up being electric sooner or later. The question is whether the Porsche Taycan distorted the strategy to be followed. The great success of a flagship model, exotic and far ahead of the rest of the market, did not have to anticipate a generalized embrace of this technology in all the company’s cars. The electric Porsche Macan, that once offered a V6 in one of the brand’s entry cars, it seems a good example of how not all Porsche customers are the same. Because a good part of the customers who opted for the Macan wanted to get closer to the sensations typical of Porsche at the price their pocketbook allows. These sensations have to do, in part, with that V6 heart that we mentioned before. And it is even more pronounced among those looking for a Porsche 718. While the Porsche Macan can be understood as a gateway to the brand, the Porsche 718 is understood as a gateway to “the Porsche experience”. Their customers don’t just want a Porsche, they want to enjoy the sensations that a central engine provides and the sound of a boxer engine. The latter is something that cannot be matched with an electric car, but the brand is convinced that it can simulate or equal the rest of the incentives that the Porsche 718 currently offers. And to achieve this they have looked to Hyundai. Hyundai as a reference Unlike most brands, which have limited themselves to jumping into electric cars by offering more and more powerful versions, Hyundai has done in-depth work with its cars to offer a truly passionate electric car. Or, at least, they have made an attempt to achieve it, which is much more than most brands. This strategy is part of the Hyundai Ioniq 5N. The first “electric N” was already born with a clear sporting vocation. Not only because of the jet of its 650 HP of poweralso for the sound of its soundtrack and a careful simulation of gear changes. The result has been so good that Porsche itself recognizes that the sports car has inspired them in the development of its next electric Porsche 718. a car that should simulate the sensations of a central engine placing the batteries behind the driver and thus shift the weight balance of the car to resemble what it now feels like with a mid-engine combustion engine. But the German company needs to put other incentives on the table. To questions from the Australian media DriveFrank Moser, responsible for the 718 and 911 ranges, has made clear the influence of the South Korean model. “We have learned a lot (talking about the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N). I have driven it several times. They have done it very, very well.” In his statements, Moser assures that the car was “developer”. He says that in one of these tests he notified Andreas Preuninger, responsible for the most radical area of ​​his sports cars, that he would come to pick him up at the controls of the South Korean car. Preuninger’s response was not encouraging, “leave me alone, I don’t want to see any of that.” However, he says that when he pressed the button that unleashes all the power and sportiness of the Ioniq 5 N, his partner was clearly surprised. One of the aspects that most surprised the Germans was the simulation of the sound and the gear change. Hyundai has done a great campaign highlighting the latter since it incorporates a mode that turns the vehicle into a sequential shift car. The idea is that despite being electric, the car does not always have the same thrust, taking away part of the torque that is available in the rev range in which it would supposedly be working. Toyota seems to be working on something similar and Honda incorporates the same mode into the new Prelude. In the absence of testing these innovations, what is certain is that Hyundai’s simulated gear change has received good reviews. In Top Gear They defined it as “quite funny.” “My more cynical disposition wanted to laugh at the Ioniq 5 N and its disguised gearbox. I wanted to say it was stupid and sad, and a waste of time. But in all honesty, I enjoyed it. Me impressed. It’s there if you want it. If you don’t, choose one of the quiet driving modes,” Ollie Kew noted in his article. Photo | Hyundai and Porsche In Xataka | China has turned the electric car market into a crazy race. And Porsche pays for it with billion-dollar losses

Toyota was determined to make hydrogen the perfect alternative to the electric car. Hyundai has just invested 563,800,000 euros

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Time passes and the hydrogen car continues to be the great promise of clean mobility. The problem is that, little by little, time passes and hydrogen seems to be at the same point: challenges that seem impossible to solve and the eternal promise of revolutionizing transportation. Along the way, a good handful of companies said they were joining the hydrogen wave. Toyota has been one of those that has bet the most but, in the midst of a decline, it has been Hyundai that takes a new step. Reconversion. Hyundai has confirmed which has already laid the first stone of its new fuel cell and electrolyzer production plant in Ulsan (South Korea). The company has invested 930 billion won. That is, 563.8 million euros to convert the space and give it a new industrial use. According to the company, starting in 2027 they will be able to manufacture 30,000 fuel cell units per year in a space that extends across 43,000 m2. The intention is to produce systems for hydrogen-powered passenger cars but also for heavy transport services. a bet. Hyundai’s commitment to hydrogen is not new. The company has on the market the Nexusone of the few hydrogen cars that can be purchased and that has no competition since the Toyota Miraithe other great hydrogen car, is a sedan with a totally different approach. At the end of last year, Hyundai also presented Initiumthe preview of what should be a new hydrogen car that will arrive in 2025. However, the company has not launched the new model on the market. The Nexo has not been the first car powered by a Hyundai fuel cell but, for now, it is the last despite the fact that in 2021 they announced that we would have the entire range on the street with hydrogen versions in 2028. The promise. For years now, hydrogen has been proposed as the great alternative to the electric car. Although, really, it is an electric car. In its operation, a fuel cell car is a vehicle that carries out the electrolysis process inside to generate electricity that is stored in the batteries. In this process, the car does not generate CO2 and only expels water vapor through the exhaust pipe. The great advantage is that its carbon emissions are non-existent while it recharges the tanks in a few minutes to travel hundreds and hundreds of kilometers. The problems. There are many and they are difficult to remedy. When it comes to bringing hydrogen to a street car, the technical difficulties are enormous. First, because hydrogen occupies a large volume for the energy it can later generate. That’s why the Toyota Mirai is, almost everything, huge tanks. The latter is solved by turning the hydrogen into a liquid state but requires keeping it at -30ºC. It is a solution that has been designed to be used as fuel in a combustion engine and to remember the sensations of a combustion engine but generates very polluting particles such as NOx. That is, hydrogen requires huge tanks or a good amount of energy to keep it at a very low temperature. When this is achieved, it requires a complex system to carry out electrolysis or burn it in the engine itself (which generates very polluting particles). And all this without counting the complexity of producing and transporting it to the service station on duty. Non-viable. What happens at this point? That hydrogen is, at the moment, very expensive. As expensive as in Germany the cost of filling the tank was as expensive as filling it with diesel. It does not seem so strange that service stations are being dismantled in Germany and that although Stellantis offered to convert electric vans to hydrogen to gain autonomy, has ended up abandoning his plans. For now, on the way BMW too says it is developing hydrogen cars. Renault says to do the same. And Toyota continues investigating with burn hydrogen in combustion engines while turning his back on his Toyota Mirai in the United States where he faces a class action lawsuit from owners who they feel cheated. a light. In addition to light transportation, Hyundai says it wants to focus fuel cell production on heavy transportation. The company has its hopes that this type of transportation can find a true use for hydrogen. Heavy transport can find some advantages over electric transport. To charge an electric truck in a short time, enormous infrastructure is needed with chargers as fast and powerful as those from BYD. If hydrogen poles are created in dry ports or large distribution centers, it could make sense with less dispersed and therefore less costly distribution. Also the cost of filling the truck with huge tanks is lower because in percentage terms it would not eat up as much space as in a car. And, at the same time, recharging would be faster for less clean transportation than purely electric but much cleaner than current diesel engines. Photo | Hydrogen In Xataka | Renault is clear that the electric car is not the only way. Your proposal for the future: a hydrogen plug-in hybrid

one that Hyundai and Kia want to recover

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There are several reasons why Porsche you are not finding the best results of its history in recent times. Some will point directly to its shameless commitment to the electric car. A bet that, right now, is being reversed but that has left us a product portfolio in which its best-selling car, the Porsche Macan, can only be purchased right now in electric versions. It is very likely that they themselves believe that the Porsche customer He doesn’t even want to hear about the electric car. And, no doubt, there will be a few who think this. But as they explained a few days ago in The Coches.net podcastnot all Porsche customers are the same. In fact, the brand itself is much more linked to the electric car than we might think. So much so that your first vehicleat the end of the 19th century, was moved by electricity. The one known as Porsche P1 It had an “octagonal electric motor” capable of developing a power of up to 3.7 kW (5 horsepower). Its maximum speed: 35 km/h. A missile compared to the 16 km/h reached by the vehicles of the benz family that were moved by a combustion engine and were produced just a few kilometers away. Semper Vivus, the first hybrid car from Porsche and in history Trusting in that technology, Ferdinand Porsche would continue to evolve the concept and in the year 1900 he stood in the Palace of Electricity at the Universal Exhibition in Paris with what was known as “Lohner-Porsche system”. This innovation integrated what were called “wheel hub motors.” These were installed on the front axle wheels. Yes, 125 years ago the creator of Porsche boasted completely electric front-wheel drive cars. We can ask for some other Valium. The company explains that these engines could generate 2.5 HP each and the top speed rose above 30 km/h. The system was perfected and presentedn three different sizes with increasing powers, with the aim of being able to test them in larger vehicles. Thus, the most advanced evolution incorporated wheels with 12 HP motors that pushed the cars for a maximum of 50 kilometers, with the energy accumulated in lead batteries. Even that same year, what is known as the world’s first electric competition vehicle was unveiled. Named “La Toujours Contente” (“Always Happy”), it was a vehicle with four wheel hub motors that could produce up to 14 HP of power each. It is also considered the first car with four-wheel drive. a century later As we already know, electric cars from the beginning of the 20th century did not have much further travel. At that time, lead batteries were very expensive and required maintenance that was almost prohibitive for most car owners’ already deep pockets. Besides, the rapid evolution of combustion engines They promoted this technology that quickly left the electric car behind. As one century passes since those early days of automotive history, the electric car He is going through his best days. Not only do we have among us vehicles with features unimaginable more than 100 years ago, we must also take into account the rapid evolution that we have experienced in the last decade, which generates a certain optimism about what cars we will find in another ten years. From that point of view, there are those who are betting on recovering what was once called a “wheel hub motor.” That is, including an electric motor in the wheel concept itself, with the aim of limiting power losses and controlling the amount of energy delivered down to the smallest detail. This allows a car to be more precise, faster and should be able to improve control over it. In Hybrids and Electrics They include a good number of proposals that are currently being developed. We have developments underway from Toyota or BMW that have opted for better dynamism but also from Hyundaiwho aspire to get a car with much greater interior space thanks to eliminating the engines located in the center of the axle, front or rear, it doesn’t matter. Companies like Protean Electric They are developing their own versions, with the intention of showing them to the big manufacturers and being able to stake advantage of their innovations in the future. The main advantage is that, according to their calculations, the efficiency is 97% so the losses in power delivery are minimal. These changes should be key to achieving electric beasts like the Renault Turbo 3E. But it is not only a question of improving dynamism with higher powers or a better distribution of engine torque, popularizing this system aims to revolutionize the concept of the car itself because we would gain much more interior space and the autonomy of the electric vehicle that fitted this technology would be improved, benefiting from said improvement in efficiency. In the face of revolutionary promises, physics prevails for the moment. And including a motor in the wheel also increases the unsprung mass. That is, the kilograms that are not directly supported by the suspension. When the unsprung mass increases, the problems grow exponentially because inertia multiplies the impact that its weight has on the dynamic behavior of the car. It is no coincidence that Hyundai’s proposal It also comes with a new air suspension to more closely control this increase in unsprung mass. Because your biggest problem It is not that it is more difficult to control that mass at high speed (which is also true), the problems are already apparent from the start, generating greater vibrations that are transmitted to the vehicle’s cabin before they can be filtered, worsening driving comfort. It must be added that although the efficiency of the system seems guaranteed… this does not always seem to be fulfilled. By installing motors in the wheels, cooling is more complex, so the temperature increases and the motors may lose efficiency. That is to say, yes, losses in power delivery are reduced but only if the engine is sufficiently well cooled … Read more

Xavier Martinet, CEO of Hyundai Europe, before the Chinese threat and its next release

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Xavier Martinet is an busy man. What is expected when you are the CEO in Europe of a company like Hyundai. But today it is not one of those days when meetings accumulate on the agenda or flights are taken to go to one country or another. Today he is a busy man because Hyundai has decided that His great presentation of the Münich IAA Mobility He will do it on the street. The Motor Show of this German city is now a space that embraces the public. There is a closed congress center to which it goes as a press, to do business or if you are willing to pay the entrance. If you live in Münich or, in a few days of tourism, you have coincided with the fair, I recommend that you lose yourself through its historic center. About 500 meters from Marienplatz you will be inside the bowels of a gigantic Mercedes scenario. By his side he compensates for Cupra Tindaya And the American proposal Lucid. A little further, Porsche and Audi. Before the end of the Wide Ludwigstraße, the stand of Hyundai It stands out on the elevated. There are four spaces. The ends are flanked by the present, with a Ioniq 5 on one side and a Ioniq 6 N in the opposite. In the center two attractive design exercises. On the left the Hyundai INTEROID, a version with steroids of the Electric small which seems perfect to assault a championship of Rallycross. To the right and Martinet’s back, the concept Three, the prototype designed by Eduardo Ramírez, head of design in Europe of the brand, who will also give us some brushstrokes on it. Hyundai is full of Spanish figures in relevant positions. José Muñoz, his global CEO, is the last responsible for the brand worldwide. Two of these three appear have spoken with Xataka about their next release. The fair price “Today we are presenting the Concept Three. The production version will be launched next year. We do not confirm the official name but bearing the name of Ioniq … they can guess what it will be called,” says Martinet who refuses to speak directly of the company’s production model. The present, for the moment, is a futuristic prototype that could only be a design game if it were not because Hyundai has risked in its electric versions. We could say that we do not believe its frontal sharp or its pixel lighting but the second can be seen in all the company’s electric. For the first, only a few steps are needed and placed in front of the spectacular ioniq 6. The Hyundai Concept Three seems the logical and electrical evolution of the Hyundai CR-Z, a car for day to day, rational and logical but with a point of aggressiveness and risk that makes it attractive and different on the outside. Time will tell how far the company tense the company with the final image. “It is a concept thought of the European, aerodynamic client, very efficient … but also thought to have a large interior space,” Eduardo Ramírez points out that, as we said, is the head of its design and together with Martinet, is today the most sought after person. For that European client, the price is essential. “The Hyundai Inter starts at 23,000 euros and the electric Kona Kona in 37,000 euros. The production version of the concept Three will fit very well between them. For us it is really fundamental, really, to continue offering electricity in the heart of the European market, in segments B and C,” Martinet points out about the future position of the car. Here is one of the keys and one of the questions that is most repeated in this type of electrical approaches. Is the public willing to pay an electric of between 20,000 and 30,000 euros assuming that It will generate some discomforts When do you want to make a long trip? “The electric is not everything in Hyundai’s strategy. We are also continually developing hybrid technology, and right now we need to have this double approach,” Martinet already advances although he later points out that “it is very important to demonstrate that we can have a very strong supply of electric in all segments and demonstrate that changing to the electric is a possibility.” That jump has two variants that Hyundai’s CEO rensures us. “The electric are more expensive than combustion cars. But you have more technology. The total cost, however, it is interesting because you have lower maintenance costs, electricity is cheaper than gasoline … Electrification is the way to follow to decarbonize the automobile industry.” “At this time, we have a market share of 3.8% and we are quite stable compared to last year but we have space to grow. As a brand you have to add value, this component that we generate, say, the will of the customers to buy your vehicles. Hyundai has a distinctive positioning. The design is very important for us, technology also,” Martinet insists. “Let’s not be defensive, let’s play the attack. We are one of the brands is more likely to resist better against the Chinese,” says the Hyundai Europe CEO “A bold, modern and surprising,” those are the three words with which Eduardo Ramírez describes the brand’s design, a pillar on which the company’s models have been settled. “For the Ioniq range we have defined a characteristic language with the lighting of pixels, an interior space that is treated as a furnished space. Anyway, all Hyundai cars can be recognized because they have something in common in design even if they are different.” Thus, one of those pillars on which to lift the brand is, without a doubt, the design. The other is technology. “There you have the ioniq 6 N. we are demonstrating that you can have sustainability, advanced electrical technology, and still a lot of driving pleasure with the characteristics of N (its sports division). We are demonstrating … Read more

The Xiaomi Su7 has surprised the entire industry. So much that Hyundai is taking them to Korea to inspect them

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A Xiaomi Su7 Max It has been sighted being transported to the Hyundai offices in Seoul. It has been caught since it carried a provisional research registration. As affirms The South Korean medium Bloter, Hyundai has imported several units of Chinese electric Berlin to analyze them in depth in their R&D centers. Xiaomi is hoarding great success In the world of motor racing with its latest proposals and everything indicates that the South Korean firm seeks to decipher the keys to the success of a model that has revolutionized the market. Hyundai also asks the question. Su7 has become the phenomenon of the year in the world of electric car. Xiaomi has achieved something that seemed impossible: to match the performance of a Porsche Taycan in a car that costs significantly less. With more than 300,000 units sold in just 15 months and The nürburgring record For a production electric, the Chinese model is raising blisters in traditional manufacturers. Su7 Max being carried by a truck to the Hyundai Research Center. Image: Weibo A car to investigate. The South Korean company You will transfer the units acquired to your research center Namyang in Hwaseong and his Seoul headquarters to submit them to an exhaustive analysis. In the reverse engineering process they seek to understand every technical aspect of the vehicle, from its electrical architecture to its Hyperos infotainment system, inherited from Xiaomi’s experience in smartphones. What interests most. Hyundai engineers will pay special attention to the user interface and the SU7 entertainment system, which They have been compared Favorably with Bluelink Connect of the Korean brand. Xiaomi has a great career in the software of its phones, and its work in the SU7 has been so prominent that it has become one of the aspects most valued by users and experts in the sector. A generalized concern. The Chinese advance in the automobile sector is sitting like a jug of cold water to traditional manufacturers. Euisun Chung, executive president of the Hyundai group, already He warned In an internal meeting that “there are inevitable challenges ahead”, clearly referring to competitors such as Byd and Xiaomi. Hyundai’s investment in this segment has grown 15% in the last year, reaching 32.4 billion dollars. And now what. With an expected investment of 17.6 billion dollars by 2025, almost half aimed at R&D, the company seeks to maintain its competitive position in a market where the rules of the game They are changing at a dizzying speed. Although SU7 will not officially reach Europe until 2027, its influence is already predicting an earthquake in the sector. Cover image | Xiaomi In Xataka | Xiaomi will try to repeat in 2027 what worked with mobile phones: that Europeans forget that they need expensive cars

Hyundai aims to automate 40% of his new plant in the US. THE KEY TO GET IT: ATLAS HUMANoid Robots

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Robots have been in the automobile industry for decades. They have welded, pressed and assembled pieces without rest. But despite that long career, many tasks were still in human hands. That is starting to change. Robots are less and less clumsy: They are more skilled, more versatile and, most importantly, much cheaper to manufacture. And that opens the door to a new phase. Hyundai wants to be in charge of that change. On your new plant HMGMA (Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America), located on the outskirts of Savannah (Georgia, USA), the company has proposed to automate 40% of the vehicle assembly process before the end of 2025. According to Nikkei Asiathe objective is to transform this factory into an intelligent environment, where artificial intelligence and data are key from logistics to the final assembly. A connected and flexible ecosystem. The plant is designed not only as a assembly line, but as a demonstration of everything Hyundai is able to do with technology. The brand defines it as “a highly connected, automated and flexible manufacturing system”, prepared to adapt to changes in demand and optimize each phase of the process. That is why it is no coincidence that starts focused on the production of electric and hybrid vehicles, with an estimated initial capacity of 100,000 units a year, which will grow to 500,000 when it is at full performance. The Metaplant aspires to become one of the referents of the automobile industry of the present and the future. Atlas enters the scene. In that technological deployment, the focus is on a very concrete protagonist: Atlas, Boston Dynamics’s humanoid robot. It is not any robot. It is a completely electric model, designed to move as a human and work in the same space as humans. Atlas is the successor of the famous hydraulic model that we saw mortal somersaults. But this time, the approach is another. It is prepared to lift heavy objects, install parts and adapt to what happens around you in real time. Hyundai describes it As a robot with “athletic intelligence”, and that translates into sensors, algorithms and a structure designed for complex tasks that one person could only do. Boston Dynamics is already part of the Hyundai group. This movement makes sense because Boston Dynamics is not just any partner: It is part of the Hyundai group since 2021. Since the company was made, the South Korean firm has been integrating its technology within its vision of “progress for humanity.” A vision that includes autonomous cars, urban air mobility, robotics in logistics and, of course, new ways of manufacturing. Boston Dynamics has been working with biped and quadruped robots for years, and now faces the challenge of taking them to the commercial field. If Atlas works in this plant, it will mark a before and after. Because it is no longer just impressing in a viral video: it is about a robot being useful and productive on a large scale. What tasks will the robots perform? Hyundai has not detailed all the works that Atlas will assume, but, according to the aforementioned Asian newspaper, it has confirmed some: move heavy objects, install doors in vehicles and collaborate in physical tasks that require strength and precision. The objective is clear: to free human operators from repetitive or demanding works. Now, that does not mean that Atlas is just as agile as an expert operator. For now, it is not. Just see some assembly line videos To ask ourselves if robots will be as skilled as humans. Atlas will not be the only one in the plant. They will also deploy The well -known spotdog -shaped robots that also manufactures Boston Dynamics. Its function will be to monitor production lines, inspect bodies and identify possible structural defects. And next to you they will live more classic automation systems: welding robots, presses and heavy machinery. A context marked by the tariff war. This deployment does not happen in a vacuum. It arrives in the middle of the commercial war between the United States and China. The administration Trump has imposed a 145% tariff To many products from China and maintains a base rate of 10% for most commercial partners, including South Korea. That is why Hyundai has decided to bet on American territory. Has announced An investment of 21,000 million dollars in the United States over the next four years. A strategy that seeks to protect its position in the North American market and, at the same time, gain margin of maneuver against geopolitical uncertainty. Of course, automating more does not necessarily mean hiring more. Hyundai’s expansion is accompanied by strong robotization. And that raises questions about employment. Will less operators be hired? Will new roles emerge within factories? The advance is indisputable, although it does not guarantee new jobs. Images | Hyundai In Xataka | Duolingo inaugurates a new era: when human talent is no longer essential

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