Kim Heung-soo (front, left), executive vice president and head of the Global Strategy Office at Hyundai Motor Group, and Miki Terada (front, right), general manager of the Advanced Composites Division at Toray Group, pose for a photo after signing a strategic joint development agreement at Hyundai Motor’s headquarters in southern Seoul on Friday. (Hyundai Motor Group)
Kim Heung-soo (front, left), executive vice president and head of the Global Strategy Office at Hyundai Motor Group, and Miki Terada (front, right), general manager of the Advanced Composites Division at Toray Group, pose for a photo after signing a strategic joint development agreement at Hyundai Motor’s headquarters in southern Seoul on Friday. (Hyundai Motor Group)

Hyundai Motor Group on Friday signed a joint development agreement with Japan’s Toray Group to cooperate on the development of advanced materials and components for future mobility.

In April 2024, Hyundai Motor Group signed a master agreement with Toray Group to jointly develop lightweight and high-strength composite materials, including carbon fiber-reinforced polymer parts to improve mobility performance and ensure safety.

Under the agreement signed Friday, which further strengthens the partnership between the two groups, Hyundai Motor will expand cooperation in developing advanced materials and components for next-generation mobility, including high-performance vehicles, lunar exploration rovers and humanoid robots.

The partnership will also cover the full value chain, from technology development to production and commercialization, in the field of high-performance composite materials.

Hyundai Motor will lead vehicle-level design, suitability assessments, and performance evaluations of advanced materials and components through its R&D division, centered on the Basic Materials Research Center, which oversees the development and validation of new body materials.

On the Japanese side, Toray Industries will serve as the hub for joint development, while its affiliates — Toray Advanced Materials Korea, Toray Advanced Composites and Euro Advanced Carbon Fiber Composites — will develop intermediate materials and molded products leveraging Toray’s carbon fiber technology.

“Toray will create innovative composite material solutions essential for next-generation mobility and enhance our global competitiveness in collaboration with Hyundai Motor,” said Miki Terada, general manager of the advanced composites division at Toray Group.

“This agreement marks a significant milestone following the strategic partnership established in 2024,” said Kim Heung-soo, executive vice president and head of the Global Strategy Office at Hyundai Motor Group. “We will strengthen our market responsiveness through close cooperation in the field of advanced composite materials.”


andreahaneu@heraldcorp.com