Korean Automakers, Self-Driving Startups Team Up for K-Autonomous Driving Launch

Autonomous a2z (hereinafter referred to as a2z), a leading company in autonomous driving technology, has joined hands with Kia to fully embark on the era of Level 4 autonomous vehicles. The two companies announced that they have signed a vehicle supply partnership for the production of Level 4 autonomous vehicles based on Kia's Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV) 'PV5'. Kia will begin mass production of PV5, the first model of its new concept PBV, at its Hwaseong plant in July, and a2z will be responsible for transforming this PV5 into a state-of-the-art Level 4 autonomous vehicle. a2z, which boasts the world's 11th-ranked autonomous driving technology (according to a Guidehouse Insights assessment, early this year), plans to integrate its unique know-how accumulated from operating 55 autonomous vehicles into the PV5. Through this, the company plans to obtain government certification and accelerate the expansion of its autonomous driving business both domestically and internationally. The fruits of this collaboration will be spectacularly unveiled at the '2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit' to be held in Gyeongju this October. a2z has been selected as the official autonomous vehicle operator for APEC, showcasing the vision of future mobility to the world. From late August until the end of this year, a total of 10 Level 4 autonomous vehicles will be operated sequentially in the Gyeongju area, adapted to road maintenance conditions, with two of them being PV5-based autonomous vehicles. Various other models, including the company's self-developed driverless vehicle 'ROii' and modified buses, will also be showcased, demonstrating a2z's technological capabilities. Han Ji-hyung, CEO of a2z, emphasized, "The commercialization of autonomous vehicles is now transitioning from competition among single companies to strategic cooperation at the industrial ecosystem level," and announced plans for joint entry into global markets such as Singapore, UAE, and Japan, starting with the APEC debut, as well as expanding collaboration with Kia's subsequent PBV models. Kim Sang-dae, Head of Kia's PBV Business Division (Vice President), also emphasized that Kia PBVs are "a business platform that combines solutions and future technologies beyond simple hardware," and expressed expectations that the cooperation with a2z will set a precedent for expanding Kia's PBV ecosystem externally and providing new value to customers. This agreement significantly raises expectations for the innovative synergy that will be created by the convergence of autonomous driving technology and the PBV platform.