Hyundai Motor Group has recently partnered with Toray Industries, a Japanese material manufacturer, aiming to enhance materials technology for vehicles. This collaboration seeks to develop lightweight and high-strength materials with a focus on improving the performance and safety of Hyundai’s vehicles.
Under the agreement, Hyundai Motor and Toray will collaborate to explore innovative materials like carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) to be integrated into future mobility products. The partnership will drive material innovation in the automotive industry by leveraging Toray’s expertise in carbon fiber and composite material technology, particularly in electric vehicles and motors.
The joint research and development efforts between Hyundai Motor and Toray Industries will encompass the creation of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer parts to enhance the performance of electric vehicle batteries and motors.
The collaboration also seeks to introduce new materials into future mobility products for innovation in the industry and to provide a competitive edge in the field. Carbon fiber, a core focus of Toray Group’s business, is lightweight, strong, and heat resistant, making it a competent material in sectors like automotive and aviation. The signing ceremony for the agreement took place at Hyundai’s headquarters in southern Seoul and was attended by key executives from both companies.
Hyundai Motor Group emphasized leveraging the strategic partnership with Toray Group. President Chang Song of Hyundai’s advanced vehicle platform division expressed their goal to combine automotive expertise with Toray Group’s material technology prowess to secure a competitive advantage in the global market.
At the signing ceremony, top officials from both Korean and Japanese firms were present, including Akihiro Nikkaku and Mitsuo Ohya from Toray Industries, along with Hyundai Motor’s CEO Chang Jae-hoon and Kia Corp.’s co-CEO Song Ho-sung. Ohya, President of Toray Group, expressed his anticipation for jointly developing innovative materials and technologies with Hyundai Motor Group, focusing on electrification and sustainability to meet the evolving needs of the automotive industry.
Toray Industries, established in 1962, holds a prominent position as a global leader in carbon fiber and composite materials technology. Its contribution to the mobility sector, including automobiles and aviation, has its roots in its properties of carbon fiber—its lightweight nature, high strength, and heat resistance.
The Japanese conglomerate has collaborated with urban air mobility firms like Joby in the United States and Lilium in Germany, securing long-term supply deals for its carbon fiber-reinforced polymer.
President Chang Song emphasized that Hyundai Motor Group views the strategic alliance with Toray Group as pivotal in reinforcing its position as a leading provider of mobility solutions worldwide. The collaboration represents a concerted effort to amalgamate the Group’s automotive expertise with Toray’s proficiency in material technology, with the ultimate goal of seizing a competitive advantage in the global market.
With the partnership, the company strategizes for future mobility, which encompasses not only advancements in electrification and software-driven vehicles (SDVs) but also fundamental progress in material technology.
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