In a world where self-driving cars are becoming more and more popular, a new brand has entered the ring to try its hand at selling the vehicle, Hyundai.

Hyundai is calling the car the NEXO Autonomous. The initial starting price on the 2021 model of the car is $60,000, according to Hyundai’s website. The car is said to feature what the company calls, “Internet of Things”, its way to make sure the car stays connected with the world around it. The car has six different levels, from zero to five. The lowest levels give the human more control in driving, and the highest give the car the most control in driving. The car has a LiDAR, the companies own radar scanning system as well, that helps detect other cars, people, or danger in the road ahead.

“I think that it is interesting that a more commonly driven brand like Hyundai is getting in to self driving cars, and not a big fancy company like Tesla. I hope it works out well for them,” sophomore Jacob Brewer said.
Initial testing of the car has been successful as well, according to Hyundai’s website. The car completed a 190 kilometer test on a road between Seoul and Pyongcheng, in Japan. The vehicle navigated the road safely without incident, giving Hyundai big first step in preparing to sell them commercially sooner. As of now, Hyundai, according to its website, hopes to put the car on select markets by 2021, and to the entire public by 2030. Each different level, zero to five, will have its own model of car, so each and every driver will have the car work to its preference.

“I do not think it will go quite as planned. The cars are a lot to invest in; I would not be surprised if it eventually fell through,” senior Will Streff said.
Hyundai is also faced with the challenges of setting up charging stations around the country for the car, as it runs on electric. The company reported through its website that they have begun to look into this, but have yet to start anything. On top of that, competition from other self driving car manufactures who are much closer to releases, such as Tesla, could bare issues.

The release of the Hyundai NEXO Autonomous will start in Japan before making its way to the select US markets in 2021.