Hyundai Motor Group has announced the appointment of Dr. Minwoo Park, a globally recognized expert in autonomous driving technology, as Head of its Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division and CEO of 42dot. The strategic leadership move is aimed at strengthening the Group’s competitiveness in software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and autonomous driving-based vehicle software, accelerating its transformation into a software-centered mobility company.
Strategic Push Toward Software-Defined Vehicles and Physical AI
Dr. Park’s appointment underscores Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to advancing vehicle software technology, autonomous driving, and Physical AI across its future mobility portfolio. With increasing global competition in automotive software and intelligent mobility, the Group is reinforcing its execution of a long-term SDV strategy focused on faster development cycles, scalable platforms, and advanced autonomy.
“Hyundai Motor Group possesses a uniquely strong foundation to rapidly realize world-class competitiveness in Physical AI across software-defined vehicles, autonomous driving, and robotics. I aim to make it a company where technology and people work together to lead the next generation of intelligent mobility, setting a new global benchmark for innovation.”
— Dr. Minwoo Park
Extensive Background in Autonomous Driving and Vehicle Software
Dr. Park brings decades of experience from leading global technology companies, where he successfully bridged research, mass production, and commercialization of autonomous driving systems.
Leadership at NVIDIA
Most recently, Park served as Vice President at NVIDIA, where he:
- Built the development framework for autonomous driving perception technology
- Led mass production and commercialization of NVIDIA’s self-driving software platform
- Oversaw large-scale vehicle integration projects with global automakers
- Coordinated perception, sensor fusion, and deep learning teams to deliver production-ready autonomous solutions
His work played a critical role in advancing AI-powered autonomous vehicle software across the global automotive industry.
Pioneering Autonomous Technology at Tesla
Prior to NVIDIA, Park held a key leadership role at Tesla, where he led the first Tesla Vision release for Autopilot. This milestone marked Tesla’s transition away from external suppliers toward a proprietary, camera-centric deep learning system, laying the groundwork for fully software-defined autonomous driving technology.
Strengthening Hyundai Motor Group’s Future Mobility Leadership
With Dr. Park now overseeing the AVP Division and 42dot, Hyundai Motor Group has completed a core leadership structure designed to accelerate innovation in future mobility technologies.
In December 2025, the Group appointed Manfred Harrer as Head of its R&D Division. Together, Harrer and Park form a leadership backbone responsible for driving:
- Software-defined vehicle architecture
- Autonomous driving technology development
- Faster product development and commercialization
- Enhanced global competitiveness in mobility software
Competing in the Global Automotive Software Landscape
The appointment positions Hyundai Motor Group to compete more aggressively with both traditional automakers and technology companies in the rapidly evolving fields of autonomous driving, vehicle operating systems, and software-defined vehicles.
By integrating advanced AI software capabilities with in-house vehicle platforms, Hyundai aims to set new benchmarks for intelligent mobility, scalable SDV architectures, and autonomous vehicle innovation on a global scale.
