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Overseas Hyundai models to receive Google Maps integration

Published: 12 Dec. 2024, 17:15

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

From left, Google Vice President of Android and Devices & Services Partnerships Ariel Spivak, Google Vice President of Partnerships Solutions and Global Partnerships Cyrus Beagley, Hyundai Motor Group President and Head of Advanced Vehicle Platform Song Chang-hyun, Google Maps Automotive Vice President and General Manager Jorgen Behrens and Hyundai Motor Vice President Kim Heung-soo [HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP]

Future overseas Hyundai Motor, Kia and Genesis vehicles will come fitted with Google Maps integration.

The proprietary navigation systems that vehicles under Hyundai Motor Group currently use will come fitted with Google's Places API under a newly expanded partnership between Hyundai and Google, the automaker said Thursday.

The Places API functions similarly to Yelp's integration with services such as the chatbot Perplexity; integrated navigation systems will display data about nearby places pulled from Google Maps, including business hours, contact information, ratings and reviews.

Kia vehicles sold in North America will be the first to receive the Google Maps integration, with global “subsequent expansion” to Hyundai, Kia and Genesis models on the horizon. Hyundai Motor Group did not reveal a timeline for the rollout, or which specific models will receive it, but did clarify that vehicles sold in Korea will be excluded.

Hyundai Motor Group said it is “considering” updating existing vehicles to receive the integration, with technical and regional differences in consideration, but added that nothing is confirmed at the moment.

“By integrating our extensive database of places to Hyundai Motor Group vehicles through the Places API, we’re empowering drivers with the knowledge they need to navigate confidently,” said Jorgen Behrens, vice president and general manager of Google Maps Automotive.

The announcement builds on an existing partnership between the two companies. Hyundai Motor announced in August that it would run Google's Android Automotive on its next-generation infotainment system, which will be fitted to cars starting in the first half of 2026. That integration, however, is global and will include Korean models.

The company also signed a partnership with Waymo, an Alphabet subsidiary, in August to equip the Ioniq 5 EV with the company’s autonomous driving technology and join its robotaxi service.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]