Hyundai Motor has resumed development of the next-generation Genesis G90’s autonomous driving system. The automaker plans to equip the flagship G90 with South Korea’s first Level 3 autonomous driving system and launch it in the third quarter, positioning it to become the country’s first Level 3 production vehicle.
Level 3 autonomy allows a vehicle to drive itself without driver intervention in certain environments, typically on highways. It marks the first stage where control shifts from the driver to the vehicle and is widely regarded as the true starting point of autonomous driving.
Hyundai is collaborating with HL Group to develop and validate the performance of an integrated controller (ADCU) tied to advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). The ADAS is intended to support advanced capabilities from Level 2+ through Level 3.
An integrated ADCU reduces the number of costly onboard controllers, consolidates management of key sensors like cameras into a single unit, and serves as a core component that accelerates both autonomous-vehicle development and mass production.
Hyundai had planned to introduce a Level 3 system on the Genesis G90 in 2023 but postponed the rollout to allow for repeated driving validation and additional development time.
Hyundai currently equips its production models with Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA2), which corresponds to Level 2 autonomy.
Restarting Level 3 development signals Hyundai’s push beyond its current Level 2 systems toward Level 2+ and full Level 3 capability. Tesla’s supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature offered in Korea is considered to be at the Level 2+ tier.
The move also aims to respond to global automakers’ competition in next‑generation autonomous technology. Only a handful of models—such as the Mercedes‑Benz S‑Class and Japan’s Honda Legend—have received official certification for Level 3 autonomous systems.
Hyundai plans to roll out Level 3 autonomous systems across multiple production vehicles, starting with the Genesis G90.
A Hyundai spokesperson said the ongoing development project is confidential and declined to confirm specific details.
Jiwoong Kim, Reporter jw0316@etnews.com
