Hyundai connected services subscribers exceed ten million

Hyundai connected car services infotainment system. Credit: Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) says it now has ten million global subscribers of its connected car services, up from just one million in 2018, which it claimed provided strong support for its future software defined vehicle (SDV) strategy. 

The group’s connected car services, Hyundai Bluelink, Kia Connect and Genesis Connected Services, use wireless networks to provide infotainment systems and smartphone applications and have become an important source of revenue. 

The company said these platforms have evolved beyond offering basic services such as real time navigation, voice recognition and remote vehicle control, to also include innovative services such as over the air (OTA) updates, payments and audio/video streaming. 

Hae-Young Kwon, vice president of the infotainment development centre at HMG, said in a statement: “Our goal is to accelerate the transition to the SDV era by focusing on software technologies that seamlessly connect all journeys. We will expand the ecosystem to provide more personalised mobility services.”

If this growth trend continues, the group expects its global connected subscriber base to reach 20m by the end of 2026. It also plans to expand these services to include south-east Asia markets in the near future once it finalises deals with local network providers. 

HMG said, based on a domain-centralised architecture, it was integrating vehicle controllers into four key domains including electronics and convenience; driving performance; infotainment; and advanced driver assistance systems. It was expected to eventually evolve them into a centralised architecture for unified control.  The group added it was also “developing software and related devices from a holistic user experience perspective, where mobility devices connect with various services to create a new mobility ecosystem and where rich mobility data and AI technologies understand user intent so that all experiences are naturally connected”.

Bluelink connects drivers to their cars through their smartphones via the Bluelink app. The app’s features allow customers to check the status of their vehicle, as well as offering a control mode function to make it easy for them to keep track of their car and send remote commands anytime, from anywhere. 

The app allows users to lock and unlock car doors from the comfort of their own living room, or on their way to the car park as they finish work. They also receive a push notification on their smartphone if they forget to lock the car. Using the ‘Find My Car’ function, customers can also remotely locate their car as the vehicle’s location is displayed on the map within the smartphone app. The in-vehicle diagnostic system check feature provides important information to the driver. 

Through Bluelink, drivers of Hyundai’s electric and plug-in models can charge their vehicles remotely, check their car’s battery status and even set a charging schedule. It is also possible for drivers of any Bluelink-equipped Hyundai to unlock their car doors remotely by entering the Bluelink User PIN. 

The Bluelink app also offers a range of useful connectivity features to assist drivers ahead of a journey to reach a new location. Users can search for a point of interest (POI) or destination and send the search results directly to the car’s satellite navigation, which means it is set up even before they get into the car. The ‘My Trips’ function provides key metrics such as time, distance, average and top speed of all customer trips, allowing them to analyse their driving style. 

Bluelink also helps keep drivers safer on the road by delivering push notifications to the customer’s smartphone if a vehicle’s security has been compromised or if the doors have been left unlocked. eCall is also now a standard feature. In addition to the manual eCall button, in the case of a more serious road incident resulting in the airbag sensors being triggered this automatically contacts emergency services, while providing assistance to passengers.

More than 10 years ago, Bluelink debuted on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata with a suite of connected services. Since then, it has become an integral part of customers lives. Millions of times a week, Hyundai owners use Bluelink to remote start their car. These customers rely on Bluelink to send an emergency response after a collision or to summon roadside assistance if they have a flat tire. Bluelink also has been helping keep teen drivers safe with parental alerts. 

As the world moves into the EV era, Bluelink has become a "must have" technology. Hyundai Kona Electric and IONIQ 5 owners can use Bluelink to schedule their home charging when electricity prices are at their lowest. They can also use Bluelink to warm up the vehicle cabin while it is still plugged in to preserve battery power and check the state of charge. Bluelink can also help find nearby charging stations or a coffee shop with its point of interest search.

As customers have come to depend on connected services, in the past some manufacturers turned their systems into income generators by charging for access to some of these basic features like Apple CarPlay or heated seats. Hyundai claims it is taking the opposite approach with Bluelink.

Hyundai Motor America is bringing in-vehicle payments to customers with the introduction of Hyundai Pay. The Hyundai Pay system allows customers to find and pay for things with their vehicle's touch screen using securely stored credit card information. Hyundai has partnered with Parkopedia to launch Hyundai Pay's first service, a new parking payment system. This system enables US drivers to locate, reserve and pay for parking at 6,000 locations - all from inside their vehicle, after an initial set-up.  

Hyundai Pay launches with the 2024 Hyundai Kona. An additional nine Hyundai models will get Hyundai Pay via model year changes or over-the-air updates and include Parkopedia parking payment services. In the future, the Hyundai Pay platform will also have additional features and electric vehicle related use cases. 

Drivers can also access the Hyundai Pay system through Hyundai's Bluelink connected car services app. This provides a connected service whether drivers are at home or on-the-go, with the app enabling drivers to view, book and retrieve past parking sessions for future journeys. 

Hyundai Pay Platform Highlights: