Hyundai to bring autonomous driving to petrol and diesel cars

Hyundai Motor Group has announced plans to integrate advanced autonomous-driving technology into its internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle lineup, according to the Korea Car Blog.

The strategy, part of the company’s “Hyundai Dynamic Capabilities” initiative, aims to offer self-driving features on petrol and diesel models as well as hybrids. Hyundai will use its Atria AI platform and the NVIDIA Drive Hyperion system for the technology.

Hyundai has outlined a two-stage roadmap for the rollout. The first stage, planned for 2028, targets Level 2+ highway driving that allows “hands-off” operation. The second stage, planned for 2029, targets Level 2++ urban driving, enabling hands-off navigation on city streets. Both stages are forecasts and not confirmed production dates.

The company is also shifting toward an “End-to-End” (E2E) artificial-intelligence model, similar to Tesla’s approach, according to the blog’s analysis. In this model, the vehicle would visually recognise its surroundings and make driving decisions in real time using language and vision processing.

Hyundai already offers Level 2 advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) on the Hyundai Verna and Venue models, which include adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist. The new plans would push those capabilities further.

The source article noted that the decision to bring autonomous tech to ICE vehicles responds to a slowdown in EV adoption, though this is presented as an analysis rather than a confirmed reason.