Hyundai Motor Co. said Friday it has formed a strategic partnership with Waymo, the self-driving technology company affiliated with Google, to pursue joint autonomous driving technology development. Under the partnership, the companies plan to integrate Waymo's sixth-generation full self-driving technology, known as Waymo Driver, into Hyundai's Ioniq 5 electric vehicles and push to use the integrated units in Waymo's robotaxi service in the United States. The Ioniq 5 units for the project will be manufactured at Hyundai's upcoming U.S. EV plant, Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), in the state of Georgia. The companies have agreed to begin initial road testing of the Ioniq 5 equipped with Waymo Driver technology by the end of next year. Their goal is to make the integrated Ioniq 5 units available for Waymo One users within the next few years. Hyundai said it also plans to support the growth of Waymo One by providing a stable supply of vehicles. Jose Munoz, Hyundai's global chief operating off icer, stated that the Ioniq 5 is ready to be produced in large numbers at HMGMA and meet the expansion of the Waymo One service. He added that the companies will actively explore further collaboration opportunities. Song Chang-hyeon, head of Hyundai Motor Group's autonomous vehicle program, stressed Hyundai's plan to enter into the autonomous vehicle foundry business to supply vehicles capable of implementing level 4 and above autonomous driving technology. "In this venture, Waymo, as an industry leader, is the perfect partner to kick off this initiative," Song said. Hyundai's partnership with Waymo comes on the heels of the South Korean automaker's memorandum of understanding forged with U.S. auto giant General Motors Co. last month to expand collaborations across key strategic areas, including vehicle and clean energy technology. Source: Yonhap News Agency