Dive Brief:

• Hyundai Motor Group and Toray Industries have signed a joint development agreement to “collaborate on advanced materials and components innovation,” the automaker announced on Oct. 27.
• The companies hope the effort will aid in the development of new materials for future mobility, including high-performance vehicles and special-purpose mobility, such as lunar exploration rovers and robots, according to the release.
• “By clearly defining our focus areas and combining our respective strengths, we will work closely together across the entire process—from R&D to production and commercialization—in the field of advanced composite materials, enhancing our ability to respond to market demands,” said Heung-soo Kim, EVP and head of the global strategy office at Hyundai Motor Group.

Dive Insight:

Formalizing a joint development agreement follows a partnership the companies launched in April 2024 to develop high-performance composite materials, such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, to enhance safety and performance in mobility.

Miki Terada, general manager of Toray Group’s advanced composites division, said in a statement that the collaboration will leverage Toray’s material technologies and expertise “to create innovative composite solutions essential for next-generation mobility.”

Hyundai has previously tapped external partners to help accelerate innovation. The automaker is collaborating with Waymo, for example, to equip its vehicles for autonomous ride-hailing.

Now though its expanded partnership with Toray, Hyundai’s research and engineering center will carry out vehicle-level design, suitability assessments and performance evaluations of advanced materials and components. Meanwhile, Toray will develop and produce carbon fiber composites and molded products based on its carbon fiber technology.