Hyundai's L.A. Auto Show presentation places a premium on packaging -- how to pack what could be seen as scary-looking sensors into autonomous cars so that they look normal and how to package the concept of electric car ownership in such a way that it eradicates consumer anxiety.
Hyundai has revealed an autonomous concept car based on its new Ioniq model. But at first glance it looks normal. And that's because the host of cameras and sensors, including its LiDAR system, have been integrated within, rather than on top of the body. What's more, it's been achieved without adversely affecting the car's ability to detect pedestrians and measure the gap between it and other vehicles.
And to demonstrate that the car actually can perform and is not simply a concept for the motor show, two autonomous Ioniqs will be heading to Las Vegas in January for the 2017 International CES.
There they will negotiate the city's boulevards and their unique challenges -- everything from dogs without leashes to sensor confusion caused by neon and sunlight plus of course huge tourist and traffic concentration plus speed bumps, traffic lights and road works.
This is all in aid of developing an autonomous vehicle operating system that is heavy on functionality but light on computing power and therefore won't cost a premium -- autonomous cars are not going to make a difference if only a tiny percentage of drivers can actually afford to buy one.
However, autonomous vehicles at any price point are still a decade away from reality, unlike electric cars, which could cement their place in the market within the next six months. And that's why Hyundai also used LA to launch "Ioniq Unlimited," a new first-of-its-kind subscription-based approach to electric car ownership.
Set to go live in California in early 2017, it will enable people to pay a set monthly fee in return for hassle-free electric car ownership with all mileage, recharging costs and maintenance covered.
"We're excited to offer Ioniq Unlimited as an innovative, worry-free means of clean, zero-emission vehicle ownership along with our new Ioniq Electric vehicle," said Dean Evans, vice president of marketing, Hyundai Motor America. "This new ownership experience adds to the satisfaction of driving a no-compromise, clean vehicle with unlimited mileage and zero hidden costs. It was time to make clean vehicle ownership easy for everyone."
