China has seen growth in adoption of emerging trends in mobility, including multi-screen interaction, seamless voice control, and connected in-vehicle ecosystems.

Through the move, the company is looking to expand its engagement with the country’s smart mobility market and use emerging user insights to inform global innovation.

Based in the Jing’an district of Shanghai, the UX research studio will support the Group’s development in an age of ‘software-defined vehicles’ (SDVs), the company said.

The studio is also partnering with academic institutions including the School of Management at Fudan University to analyse the social trends shaping mobility. Dedicated research programmes will focus on everyday use cases including family travel with multiple children, female driver commuting experiences and short-distance urban transportation.

Insights from the studio will feed into the company’s R&D network alongside existing UX research hubs in Seoul, Frankfurt and Irvine.

Jae Ho Huh, senior vice-president and China chief technology officer at Hyundai Motor Group, said: “UX Studio Shanghai will serve as an advanced research outpost for more accurately understanding and researching Chinese consumer needs, while simultaneously translating insights gained from the Chinese market into our global R&D.”