The plan behind Mobis' fake city

SEOSAN, South Korea — South Korean megasupplier Hyundai Mobis Co. is shifting into a higher gear to develop autonomous drive technologies. To help catch up with European and North American competitors, Mobis has launched a proving ground with an artificial city for self-driving vehicles.

The offensive also will deploy a new fleet of test cars on three continents. The supplier has outfitted Kia Optima sedans for Level 3-4 driving, and plans to have 20 on the road by the end of next year in the U.S., China, South Korea and Europe.

The black-and-red test vehicles' name — "M.Billy," a play on the word "mobility" — is emblazoned on the doors.

"This is a good platform on which to build up a fleet for autonomous driving," Gregory Baratoff, Mobis' vice president for driver-assist technology, said during a demonstration at the company's new test center here. "We are in a very excited takeoff phase."

Hyundai Mobis showed some of its latest technologies at the newly opened proving ground, built on reclaimed land about two hours south of Seoul. The company hopes the expansive complex, with 14 test tracks and four test buildings, turbocharges the company's advancement.

Despite being South Korea's biggest parts maker and No. 7 on Automotive News' list of the Top 100 global suppliers, until Mobis opened its cityscape last year, the company did not have its own proving ground. It had to rent time at others' proving grounds or use those of its tightly knit Hyundai Motor Group vehicle-making partners.

Kia Motors holds a 17 percent stake in Mobis, while Mobis owns 21 percent of Hyundai Motor, and Hyundai Motor holds 34 percent of Kia. The three companies will even share a new headquarters building being built in downtown Seoul.

But Mobis now has better control of its destiny with its 276-acre spread. The supplier invested $300 million to equip it with multiple test tracks, including an intelligent transportation system course and what it calls the world's longest tunnel-testing area — an 820-foot tunnel enclosure. For autonomous driving work, it has a simulated city with fake buildings and real traffic lights in a setup resembling the Mcity complex in Michigan.

"Seosan Proving Ground is expected to become a linchpin that will elevate the performance and quality of all auto components produced by Hyundai Mobis," the company said in a release.

Hyundai Mobis took one of its M.Billy test cars for a self-driven cruise through the "town." The car deftly navigated intersections and roundabouts while passing other cars. M.Billy is equipped with four short-range radar sensors on the corners, one long-range radar in the front, one multifunction camera, four other cameras for a 360-degree view, and one lidar sensor.

Mobis also showed a touch-button auto-parking system, in a Hyundai Nexo fuel cell vehicle.

Baratoff, who joined Mobis last year from Germany's Continental, said his new company was initially behind in the race for self-driving vehicles. But he is pushing a two-stage plan to jump to the head of the pack.

The first stage, which will run through 2021, will flesh out Mobis' sensor and technology portfolio, partly by leaning on outside partners. The next phase, from 2021 to 2025, will focus on honing that technology to top-of-industry levels and securing global competitiveness.

In cameras alone, Baratoff said, Hyundai Mobis plans to introduce three systems: a Level 1, a Level 2 and then a high-resolution, around-view Level 3-4 product, from 2019 through 2022.

Meanwhile, in integrated autonomous driving systems, Hyundai Mobis is working on a Level 2 system for around 2020, and a Level 3 package for 2022, Baratoff said. The Level 3 system will be able to automatically change lanes and conduct maneuvers such as passing toll gates, but it will let the computer initiate such driving decisions without human input.