Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) has set up its new innovation centre in Beijing. With this, HMG confirms that it has completed its creation of a global innovation network under Hyundai CRADLE (Center for Robotic-augmented Design in Living Experiences). With sites in Seoul, Berlin, Tel Aviv, and Silicon Valley, the China office is the fifth centre in the network, which exists to explore and utilise various innovation opportunities and business models in China to contribute the growth of HMG’s new business.

Hyundai CRADLE invests extensively in promising global startups and creating partnerships that boost the development of prospective services, systems, and complementary research opportunities. CRADLE Beijing will construct interactive business and investment collaborations with leading ICT companies, start-ups, government institutions, key universities, investment institutions and other strategic partners in China, while contributing to global efforts to foster ‘disruptive innovation’.

Peter Yang, head of Hyundai CRADLE Beijing, “As the world moves from an information technology era to one focused on data technology, CRADLE Beijing will setup an open innovation interactive platform in China, fully interact with local innovation networks.”

John Suh, head of Hyundai CRADLE Silicon Valley said, “To foster Hyundai Motor Group’s transformation from a vehicle-centric manufacturer to a lifetime provider of mobility solutions for our customers, we must identify and incentivise ideas that extended beyond our traditional patterns of business and break into new territory in vehicle design and lifestyle-centric offerings. Our global CRADLE network will foster the development of new technologies that enable improvements of how people move, lowering of environment impact, and the increase in productivity and happiness for all.”

In 2018, HMG co-published plans for a hydrogen energy fund with Tsinghua University, while in March this year it invested in Deep GLINT, a promising Chinese AI startup.

Also read: Aptiv and Hyundai confirm JV to advance SAE Level 4, 5 autonomous driving tech