- Published 2026.11.05 20:51
Almaty mayor proposes robot mobility adoption in meeting with EVP Chung Ho-keun
Group accelerates Central Asia push after joining nearby smart city project
Hyundai Motor Group is stepping up its smart city push in Kazakhstan, discussing the introduction of autonomous driving robots and artificial intelligence (AI)-based transportation networks with Almaty, the country's largest city. After agreeing in September 2026 to join a new town development project near Almaty, the group is now expanding direct cooperation with the local government to secure a mobility foothold in Central Asia.
According to Almaty City Hall on Nov. 5, Mayor Darkhan Satybaldy met with a Hyundai Motor Group delegation including Chung Ho-keun, executive vice president and head of the group's Future Strategy Division, and EVP Lee Jae-yeon to discuss applying advanced technologies to urban infrastructure. Satybaldy proposed reviewing ways to use the group's autonomous driving solutions, including the multi-purpose mobility platform MobED, in urban mobility and logistics systems.
The two sides also discussed AI-based traffic control, logistics automation, and expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging networks. Almaty said it will actively support Hyundai Motor Group in cooperating with local relevant agencies and partners to pursue related projects.
Hyundai Motor Group previously signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in September 2026 with Caspian Group, a Kazakh private investment firm, and United Group Alatau, a financial and investment company, for the Alatau Smart City project on an 880-square-kilometer site north of Almaty. Through the project, the group plans to test the feasibility of physical AI-based future city businesses in Central Asia. The latest meeting with Almaty is said to have covered specific technology application opportunities as an extension of that project.
Kazakhstan is one of the emerging finished-vehicle hubs that Hyundai Motor Group is cultivating. Hyundai Motor has been operating Hyundai Trans Kazakhstan, a semi-knockdown (CKD) plant in Almaty, since 2020 through a joint venture with local partner Astana Motors. The plant raised its production capacity through facility modernization last year, producing more than 52,000 vehicles and creating about 1,700 jobs as of 2025.
Economic cooperation between the two countries is also growing. During Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to Korea in September 2026, commercial project documents worth a total of $238.3 million (about 319 billion won) were signed, including expanded automobile production and parts localization in the Almaty region. Hyundai Motor Group is broadening its local business beyond existing finished-vehicle assembly lines to future mobility overall, including autonomous driving, robotics, and EV infrastructure.
※ This article is an AI translation of the Korean original published by Korea Credit News; it was checked by automated quality guards and published by the English edition desk.
