Hyundai Motor creates new division to speed up its transition

Naver’s Chang-Hyeon Song to lead Hyundai Motor Group’s new TaaS Division

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group announced the establishment of a new Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS) Division, to speed up its transition to becoming a smart mobility solution provider, by breaking the paradigm of the traditional automotive industry.

The new TaaS Division will be in charge of building strategies and all aspects of global mobility services, including planning, development and operations. TaaS will streamline Hyundai’s existing mobility services, introduce alternative service models based on user data to enhance the competitiveness of its global mobility business. The division also plans to create a mobility ecosystem that will promote collaboration among diverse players within the industry. 

Hyundai Motor also announced that it has appointed Chang-Hyeon Song as president of this division, to oversee the mobility businesses for Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation. Song’s appointment takes place immediately. Song is a renowned talent in the tech industry. He has developed his expertise through his work in global tech firms such as Apple and Microsoft. He is also the founder of Naver Labs, the R&D unit of South Korea’s biggest web search engine and global ICT brand Naver, where he served as chief technology officer. 

Prior to joining the Hyundai Motor Group, Song founded autonomous transportation-as-a-service startup 42dot in 2019, where he led the development of an autonomous driving and mobility technology platform. 

“Hyundai and Kia are companies with the capabilities to provide innovative and valuable mobility experiences to its customers,” said Song. “We will try to secure competitive advantage and lay the foundation for sustainable growth of the mobility industry by working closely with the government and other mobility businesses.”

About Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group is a global enterprise that has created a value chain based on mobility, steel, and construction, as well as logistics, finance, IT and service. With about 250,000 employees worldwide, the Group’s mobility brands include Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. More information about Hyundai Motor Group, go to www.hyundaimotorgroup.com.