Hyundai Motor Group has announced the formation of New Horizons Studio. The new unit will be focused on the development of Ultimate Mobility Vehicles (UMVs), including the concept vehicle Hyundai Elevate.
For the unfamiliar, Hyundai Elevate, unveiled at CES 2019, is the inaugural vehicle concept that does not rely solely on wheels. The concept vehicles expected to address challenging driving situations – for example, saving lives as the first responder in natural disasters; or allow wheelchairs to roll right in. Using a combination of robotics and wheeled locomotion technology, Elevate and other vehicles by New Horizons Studio are expected to redefine vehicular mobility.
The products developed by the unit will be targeted to the customers who have a need for travel in unconventional and off-road terrain, including places where vehicles have never roamed before. These vehicles will be subject to more challenging applications and environments, adaptable to changing conditions. Pushing the boundaries of vehicle development, the unit will reimagine how vehicles might traverse the world.
New Horizons Studio is led by Vice President Dr. John Suh, founding director of Hyundai Ventures, and then led Hyundai CRADLE (Center for Robotic-Augmented Design in Living Experiences) as its founding director based in Silicon Valley.
