Hyundai Motor Group’s versatile seat system is on display at the automaker’s UX Tech Day event in Seoul on Friday. This system optimizes the seat position for different purposes, such as parents with babies. (union) |
Engineers at the automaker, which showcased prototypes and technology at UX Tech Day 2022 in Seoul on Friday, said these future mobility features are expected to debut in the market after 2025.
According to the automaker, dozens of patented technologies have been applied to the prototype, which was expanded by removing the first row of passenger seats in a pickup van concept with six different modular arrangements for different cargo situations. There is also a cargo area. The doors can also be adjusted to open wider or lower for passenger convenience. The third row seats can be adjusted to pull further forward to avoid shoulder collisions between passengers sitting next to each other.
Kim Hyo-, Product User Experience Chief, Hyundai Motor Group, said: Rin.
“Future mobility will give drivers and passengers more freedom (in the car), so providing a satisfying user experience is important to us,” said Ryu Ji-sung, head of the Hyundai Motor Group’s body development center. It’s an important value for any engineer, and will be a point of research.” .
According to Ryu, 25 new technologies have been applied to diversify and add value to various useful functions within the PBV concept model.
“While we have come up with new technologies that will revolutionize the in-vehicle user experience, the concept of PBV is not yet fully understood and considered within the current legal framework,” said Hyundai Motor Group. Yang Hee-won, head of product development and vice president of the company, said it will continue to explore ways to (innovate the user experience in future mobility) while adhering to current laws.
Many countries do not legally allow rear-facing seats in passenger cars, Yang said, making it difficult for automakers to redesign seats to take full advantage of dead space. In South Korea, neither automakers nor drivers are allowed to install man-made structures inside their cars because of the risk of the car coming to a sudden stop.
While U.S. automakers such as Rivian and Canoo are also rolling out concept cars with user-focused features like removable roofs and sliding in-truck storage for camping kitchens, Hyundai Motor Group He says that it will be a competition of what to release. first in the market.
“From an engineer’s point of view,[their]technology maturity is still in the early stages, at the idea level. I think they[the US automakers]are exaggerating,” Liu said. .
Yang said future mobility is also about creating stories that make Hyundai cars more special and distinctive.
“In the past, vehicles were all about copying each other’s technology for specific functions. “It will shift to what we can do,” Yang said.
In February, the automaker unveiled a PBV concept built as a single-seater van based on Kia Motors’ flagship Ray. In May, Hyundai showcased the Niro Plus, based on the Niro EV, designed specifically for taxis.
Moving toward mass production of PBVs, Kia Motors announced earlier this year plans to build a dedicated PBV electric vehicle manufacturing facility in South Korea with an annual capacity of 150,000 units.
Kim Dasol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)