Many new cars are rolling off the assembly line with self-driving features corresponding to "Level 2" autonomy in Korea. There are more than 25 available passenger car models equipped with Level 2 self-driving features, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA) and the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) on Monday.

In level 2, the driver behind the wheels can briefly rely on automated steering and acceleration/deceleration through systems like cruise control and lane-centering, according to the definition from the US Department of Transportation`s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

This is a dramatic change from early last year when Hyundai Motor’s Genesis EQ900 was the only domestic model equipped with initial Level 2 self-driving features. That time, the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes Benz S-Class were released with automatic lane centering and vehicle distance functions but they could be maintained only for about 10 seconds.

Now these functions are maintained for about 1 to 2 minutes while driving on the highway. Since the Korean law prohibits unlimited self-driving, the driver is alerted when driver disengagement lasts longer than several minutes and self-driving is inactivated.

Hyundai Motor, the country’s top automaker, said more than 25,000 consumers drive its luxury brand model Genesis equipped with the country’s first semi-autonomous driving system launched in late 2015. That number represents 37 percent of total Genesis owners. With the system known as Highway Driving Assist (HDA), a car provides autonomous steering and acceleration/deceleration and can maintain a distance from a vehicle in front without the driver’s intervention while cruising on the highway.

The HDA system is now applied to Kia’s high-performance sedan Stinger. Kia Motors said about 60 percent of 3,800 Stinger buyers opted for models with Level 2 autonomy features including HDA.

BMW Korea launched the all-new 5 Series sedan last February where a semi-autonomous driving system is on as default even for models with the lowest price tag. Tesla’s S 90D features a semi-autonomous driving system that enables lane changing on the road. The new model began to be delivered to local consumers this month.

By Park Chang-young

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