Following a recent partnership with U.S. automaker General Motors (GM), Hyundai has now joined forces with Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's parent company, to accelerate its autonomous driving technology development. This partnership aims to advance Hyundai’s autonomous taxi services and vehicle innovations.

On October 4, Hyundai announced its strategic alliance with Waymo, a leader in autonomous vehicle technology currently offering robotaxi services throughout Phoenix and San Francisco, as well as expanding in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. Under this collaboration, Hyundai will integrate Waymo's sixth-generation fully autonomous system, known as "Waymo Driver," into the Hyundai IONIQ 5 EV model.

The partnership involves deploying these IONIQ 5 vehicles within Waymo’s autonomous taxi service, "Waymo One." These vehicles will be manufactured at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia, incorporating specialized features such as dual hardware redundancy and electronic doors, customized for autonomous driving.

Though Hyundai has yet to disclose the number of vehicles it will supply or exact delivery dates, the company is committed to supporting the expansion of Waymo One through stable vehicle production. Both companies also plan to initiate road tests of the Waymo Driver-equipped IONIQ 5 by late next year, with an ultimate goal of making these vehicles available to Waymo One users within a few years.

José Muñoz, Hyundai’s Global Chief Operating Officer, expressed the company’s readiness to produce these vehicles at scale, while Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana emphasized Hyundai’s commitment to sustainability and electric vehicles, making them an ideal partner in bringing fully autonomous services to more users across various regions.

This collaboration follows Hyundai's recent Memorandum of Understanding with GM, signed in New York last month, focusing on co-developing and producing eco-friendly passenger and commercial vehicles, including hydrogen technology.