Hyundai Motor Co. will spend 20 trillion won ($17 billion) over the next six years on new technology to help make the switch to electric and autonomous vehicles. Announcing its strategic plan to 2025, the South Korean company pledged to spend almost half the new money on electrification. Autonomous driving will soak up 1.6 trillion won of the total, said Hyundai. The investment forms part of a surge in spending at Hyundai, which like rivals worldwide faces an expensive future of lower-emissions, battery-powered vehicles. Competitors such as Volkswagen AG have also pledged tens of billions of dollars in investments in electrification.
In 2018, the plan should create a more profitable business with a global market share of 5 per cent in 2025, up from 4 per cent, according to Hyundai. Yet most traditional carmakers are heading in the same direction, and all-electric rivals such as Tesla Inc. have a technological head start. That suggests competitive pressures aren’t likely to subside in the next era.
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