"I came to think that Hyundai Motor Group, too, is ultimately in a structure where it has no choice but to be outcompeted by China."
Lee Jae-gyu, executive vice president and head of Vehicle Development 1 at Hyundai Motor and Kia, expressed this concern on the 19th at the "2026 Idea Festival" awards ceremony held at the Namyang Research Institute in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, citing the price and product competitiveness of Chinese finished vehicle manufacturers. The diagnosis is that employees' field-oriented ideas and a culture of challenge could serve as the starting point for future competitiveness amid the fierce pursuit by Chinese cars.
Lee stated, "I visited the Paris Motor Show last week, and Chinese OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) vehicles had good designs and price tags about 10,000 dollars cheaper," before adding, "I even began to think that European automakers would all go bankrupt soon." He emphasized, "At first, my heart was heavy and dark, but as I listened to the six ideas introduced by researchers today, I came to feel that there is still hope."
The Idea Festival, which Hyundai Motor and Kia have held for 17 consecutive years this year, is an internal research and development (R&D) competition where employees' proposed ideas are realized into actual prototypes with company support.
The six teams advancing to the finals on this day spent about four months producing their ideas as physical objects for presentation and demonstration.
The projects included the "Pin Print Seat," which adjusts its shape to fit a child's body; "Neulbom," an artificial intelligence-based infant and toddler monitoring technology; "Eye-Bridge," smart glasses designed to help people with visual impairments walk safely; "Motion Sickness Zero," which aims to reduce motion sickness among passengers; a "Tri-Fold Luggage Board" that improves trunk space utilization; and "Hero Recorder," which records the daily activities of commercial vehicle drivers.
Among these, the grand prize was awarded to the "Tri-fold Luggage Board," which allows the trunk floor to be folded into various shapes to divide space according to the size and purpose of luggage. This idea, which transforms simple storage space to fit customer situations, received high evaluation for its potential for actual vehicle application and level of completion.
"Today's ideas may not be perfect, but seeing the researchers confidently present them made me feel that Hyundai Motor Group has a bright future," Lee said. "The fact that we have continued the Idea Festival for 17 years itself shows that the company has untapped potential."
Previous award-winning ideas have made their way into mass-produced vehicles. A multifunctional console that won the top excellence award in 2021 was incorporated into the bidirectional multi-console in the Santa Fe. Software that improves trailer-towing performance, which won the top excellence award last year, was applied to the fifth-generation Tucson sold in North America and Europe.
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