South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller sibling Kia Motors Corp. have attracted over 1 million users to their connected car service in Korea.

Connected car refers to a car equipped with internet access, allowing the car to share data with other devices both inside and outside the vehicle to provide various services to its driver and passengers.

Hyundai Motor Group said Tuesday that the combined number of subscriptions to the connected car services offered by its auto making units Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors has now exceeded 1 million in Korea. The group expects the number to grow to hit 1.5 million by the end of this year.

The auto conglomerate introduced the fledgling type of connected car service late 2003 with a service called “Mozen.” The service was split for separate management in 2012, with Hyundai Motor offering a connected car service under “BlueLink” brand and Kia Motors with “UVO.” Later in 2017, the group’s luxury sedan brand Genesis also released its own connected car service.

The automakers have constantly upgraded their connected car services to make their use easier and with more functions. Kia Motors has added a new feature called “Car-to-Home,” which allows its driver to control electronics at home while sitting in the car, to the K7 Premier slated for market release later this month. It plans to add a mobile payment service, which would allow the driver to pay for parking or gas via an embedded system in the car.

The group has been active on expanding the global presence of their connected car system. Hyundai Motor recently rolled out new sports utility vehicle Venue fitted with BlueLink in India, marking as the country’s first connected car.​

By Lee Jong-hyuk and Cho Jeehyun

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]