Hyundai Motor-backed US JV Motional names AI expert as CEO

by IANS |

Seoul, June 13 (IANS) Hyundai Motor Group said on Friday that its US-based autonomous driving joint venture, Motional, has officially appointed robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) expert Laura Major as its president and chief executive officer (CEO).

Major, who had served as the company's chief technology officer (CTO) since its founding in 2020, was recently confirmed by the board, according to the South Korean automotive group. She had been serving as interim CEO since September, reports Yonhap news agency.

Motional said Major's appointment comes as the company accelerates AI development ahead of the planned commercial launch of its autonomous driving services next year.

As CTO, Major led the development of the Ioniq 5 robotaxi, one of the world's first fully driverless vehicles to receive certification under U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

Before joining Motional, Major held senior positions at Draper Laboratory, a U.S. nonprofit research and development (R&D) organization, and Aria Insight, a drone technology company, where she worked on AI and autonomy solutions for spaceflight and national security.

"In partnership with Hyundai, we're bringing embodied AI to transportation and introducing significant societal benefits," Major said. "Leveraging our deep expertise in building fully driverless systems and our agility in realizing the latest AI breakthroughs, we are strongly positioned to unlock a future where safe autonomous vehicles are a practical part of daily life."

Hyundai Motor Group said recently it will invest $21 billion in the United States through 2028, as US President Donald Trump is ramping up tariff pressure to boost domestic manufacturing.

The group's Executive Chair Euisun Chung, alongside Trump and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, made the announcement on the multipronged plan that includes an investment of $8.6 billion for the automotive sector, $6.1 billion for the steel industry, component parts and logistics, and $6.3 billion for future industry sectors and energy.