Seoul— Hyundai Motor Group announced Friday that Laura Major, a veteran in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Motional, the company’s U.S.-based autonomous driving joint venture.
Major, who previously served as Motional’s Chief Technology Officer since its founding in 2020, had been acting as interim CEO since September. Her appointment was recently confirmed by the company’s board, Hyundai said in a statement.
Motional said Major’s elevation to CEO comes at a pivotal moment, as the company ramps up its AI capabilities in preparation for the commercial rollout of its autonomous vehicle services in 2025.
As CTO, Major led the development of the Ioniq 5 robotaxi, one of the world’s first fully driverless vehicles to meet U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The robotaxi is a flagship project in Motional’s mission to bring autonomous mobility to the mainstream.
Before joining Motional, Major held senior roles at Draper Laboratory, a U.S.-based nonprofit R&D organization, and Aria Insight, a drone technology firm. Her work in those roles focused on developing AI and autonomy systems for spaceflight and national security applications.
“In partnership with Hyundai, we’re bringing embodied AI to transportation and unlocking transformative societal benefits,” Major said. “With our proven expertise in building fully driverless systems and our agility in applying the latest AI breakthroughs, we are well-positioned to make safe autonomous vehicles a practical part of everyday life.”
The announcement follows Hyundai Motor Group’s broader strategic push in the United States, where the company recently committed to investing $21 billion through 2028. The investment includes $8.6 billion for the automotive sector, $6.1 billion for steel, components, and logistics, and $6.3 billion toward future industries and energy.
Hyundai Executive Chair Euisun Chung made the announcement alongside former U.S. President Donald Trump and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, signaling the group’s support for expanding U.S. manufacturing amid renewed tariff pressures. (Source: IANS)
