Andy Nurman
January 5, 2024
Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation, and Samsung Electronics have announced a partnership to enhance connectivity between homes and vehicles.
The companies will link Hyundai and Kia’s connected car services with Samsung’s SmartThings Internet of Things (IoT) platform. This will allow drivers to control home appliances and features through their car’s infotainment system using voice commands. It will also enable home control of vehicle functions like air conditioning, charging, and remote start via AI speakers, TVs and smartphones.
The partnership aims to provide seamless connectivity between residential and mobility spaces. For example, drivers will be able to preset climate controls and lighting in their home while on their commute home. Electric vehicle owners will also be able to monitor energy usage and optimize charging times.
The services will be offered in overseas markets by connecting Hyundai and Kia’s connected car platforms with Samsung SmartThings globally. Features will be provided via over-the-air and USB-based updates to existing vehicles.
“This partnership will significantly enhance the customer experience in both the home and the car,” said Samsung Electronics EVP Chanwoo Park.
Hyundai and Kia have existing Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car services through partnerships with telecom and construction companies. This new collaboration with Samsung aims to support more devices and use cases.
The partnership demonstrates the companies’ commitment to advancing connected technologies and mobility solutions. Drivers and homes stand to become more integrated than ever before.
Our Thoughts
Given Samsung’s dominant position as a top player across Android smartphones, televisions, and home appliances, this partnership has the potential to be hugely impactful. By marrying Hyundai and Kia’s connected vehicles with Samsung’s vast ecosystem of consumer smart devices, the companies are creating what could turn out to be the definitive connected lifestyle solution.
With Samsung’s SmartThings platform already compatible with tens of millions of smartphones and homes worldwide, Hyundai and Kia instantly gain a massive installed base for their Automotive-IoT services. As the definitive end-to-end platform for managing your connected home and vehicle, Samsung’s stamp of approval could help accelerate consumer adoption more quickly than the automakers could achieve on their own. The integration with Samsung devices from doorbells to robot vacuums also greatly expands the functionality and use cases these automotive IoT services can provide.
Overall, for two of Korea’s largest automakers to partner strategically with its dominant tech champion represents a powerful alignment that could reshape consumer tech and mobility experiences market-wide. This market-leading trifecta makes the automotive-home connectivity solutions unveiled here a potent offering that the rest of the industry will be keeping a close eye on.
