Hyundai Motor breaks ground for Singapore innovation lab

SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's biggest carmaker, said Tuesday it has started the construction of an innovation lab in Singapore to explore new mobility business opportunities.

Hyundai Motor plans to build the Hyundai Mobility Global Innovation Center in Singapore by 2022 as it aims to explore business ideas and technologies to revolutionize a value chain encompassing research and development, business and production for future mobility solutions, the company said in a statement.

The innovation center "will provide an innovative customer-focused value chain that will promote the paradigm shift in future mobility solutions," Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun said in the statement.

The seven-story center will provide "seamless services" to local customers, allowing them to place an order for a vehicle, monitor the production of the vehicle, test the manufactured vehicle before delivery and receive after-sales services, it said.

The company didn't provide the cost of the construction.

With the latest lab in Singapore, Hyundai plans to expand its global innovation network to Southeast Asia, with hubs already established in South Korea, the United States, Israel, Germany and China.

The Singapore lab also will test a service using multiple modes of transport, as well as on-demand shuttle and last-mile mobility via electric scooters. In addition, Hyundai will review a potential collaboration on a pilot study for Singapore's Smart City project, the statement said.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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