South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Co. recently conducted an internal investigation into its autonomous vehicle unit as the deployment of new autonomous driving technology is delayed, drawing attention to the potential impacts of the findings on a year-end leadership reshuffle.

According to industry sources familiar with the Korean automaker Tuesday, Hyundai Motor began the investigation by sending internal auditors to determine the cause of the delayed launch of Highway Driving Pilot (HDP), a self-driving technology. The HDP is a Level 3 self-driving system, as defined by the U.S. Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) among five levels of autonomous driving systems, which allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel when certain conditions are met.

Global automakers have been striving to produce HDP vehicles, as the deployment of a self-driving system is a significant milestone in delivering fully autonomous vehicles in practice. German’s Mercedes Benz AG has deployed the HDP system in its S-Class sedan models.

But Hyundai Motor suffered delays in deploying the L-3 technology into its large-sized sedans such as G90, which is the reason for the recent investigation, sources said.

In a separate development, Hyundai’s autonomous vehicle unit recently underwent a minor senior reshuffle and restructuring. Regarding the move, the automaker explained that frequent shifts in personnel and organizational arrangements are common within the unit, as it is known for its high level of organizational flexibility.

Hyundai Motor is also expected to accelerate technology development via its affiliates. Motional, a joint venture established by Hyundai Motor Group and auto supplier Aptiv PLC, has been working on offering IONIQ 5-based robotaxi services across the United States. Hyundai Motor Group, the parent company of Hyundai Motor, earlier announced an investment of 4.3 trillion won ($3.27 billion) in new technology, including autonomous driving.

By Park Je-wan and Han Yubin

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