Hyundai's Ioniq 5 to join Waymo's robotaxi fleet

Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 5 EV will incorporate Waymo's autonomous driving technology and join its robotaxi service, the Korean automaker announced Friday.

A render of Hyundai's Ioniq 5 electric SUV equipped with Waymo's self-driving system [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 5 EV will incorporate Waymo's autonomous driving technology and join its robotaxi service, the Korean automaker announced Friday.

Under a new multiyear partnership with the Alphabet subsidiary, Hyundai Motor Group will manufacture the electric SUVs for Waymo's fleet “in significant volume” and outfit them with Waymo's sixth-generation autonomous driving technology at its Metaplant America factory in Bryan County, Georgia. The Georgia facility is currently under construction with production scheduled to begin in early 2025.

The Waymo-equipped Ioniq 5 will begin testing by late 2025 and become available on ride-hailing app Waymo One “in the years to follow,” Hyundai Motor said.

The company added that the deployed vehicles would include “specific autonomous-ready modifications” such as power doors.

Waymo is the first customer of the “vehicle foundry business” Hyundai Motor launched in late August, which provides outsource manufacturing for third-party clients in the auto industry.

ETNews reported in September that the two companies were discussing deploying the Ioniq 5 in Waymo's robotaxi fleet in lieu of those produced by Zeekr, the EV subsidiary of China's Geely EV, following the imposition of restrictive tariffs on Chinese imports under U.S. President Joe Biden.

“Hyundai’s focus on sustainability and strong electric vehicle road map makes them a great partner for us as we bring our fully autonomous service to more riders in more places,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said.

“Hyundai and Waymo share a vision to improve the safety, efficiency and convenience of how people move,” said José Muñoz, Hyundai Motor global chief operating officer and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America.

“This is the first step in the partnership between the two companies, and we are actively exploring additional opportunities for collaboration.”

Waymo currently operates in parts of San Francisco; Phoenix, Arizona; Los Angeles; and Austin, Texas, using Jaguar's I-Pace electric crossover equipped with the company’s fifth-generation autonomous driving system. The company has previously used Chrysler's Pacifica minivans and has been testing Zeekr's new robotaxi.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]