Officials with Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors test-operate a next-generation separated sound zone (SSZ) system the automakers have developed for the first time in the world. (Photos: Hyundai Motor)

The SSZ technology is designed to establish and control acoustic fields of the car so that each person can hear an audio stream tailored to meet his or her needs. This technology will allow each person of the car to hear different music, but not interfering with others’ sounds by negating the overlap of sounds being heard at each seat, pretending as if a separated sound barrier is installed.

Vehicles outfitted with this SSZ technology have respective seats offering audio without the use of headphones. This technology allows passengers to converse freely and independently of the audio assisting the driver with traffic alerts and others essential information.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors began research on the SSZ technology in 2014 and completed experimentation recently. The technology will be available for mass production within two years.

Lee Gang-duk, a researcher with the Hyundai Motor-Kia Motors Namyang Research Institute, said, “Customers in the autonomous navigation era will demand increasingly customizable entertainment options within their vehicles.”

“I hope by providing drivers and passengers with tailored, independent audio spaces, they will experience a more comfortable and entertaining transportation environment,” he added.

Diagram of establishing and controlling acoustic fields of a car.

Hyundai Motor Wins Five Red Dot Design Awards

Hyundai Motor has triumphed once again at the Red Dot Design Awards, receiving an unprecedented five accolades. With two ultimate ‘Best of the Best’ awards and three Red Dot Design Award ‘Winner’ placings, it is the fourth year in a row that Hyundai Motor has received recognition for excellence in design in the internationally-renowned Red Dot Awards.

The Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang Exhibition was awarded a ‘Best of the Best’ Red Dot Design Award accolade in the Communication Design category, highlighting Hyundai Motor’s innovative approach to capturing the brand essence in physical form. The interactive exhibition in Goyang, South Korea allows visitors to explore the Hyundai Motor brand using five primary human senses.

The journey explains Hyundai Motor’s vehicle production process; from stamping and shaping steel parts, to the detailed workings of factory line robots, and how key car technologies work.
The Hyundai Motorstudio exhibition also received further recognition, with its Kinetic Sculpture – located on the top floor of the building – named as a category ‘Winner’ in its own right. The centerpiece sculpture – constructed of 1,411 aluminum rods over a 20m2 area – reacts to visitor interactions, while also making flowing movements that reflect Hyundai Motor’s ‘Creating Design from Movement’ mantra.

The interior design of the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang also received praise as a category ‘Winner’, with building’s unique food and beverage facilities recognized. The three food courts inside the Motorstudio are cleverly designed to allow visitors to watch the chefs expertly preparing food. The concept also previously gained recognition at the 2017 Iconic Awards, with the Motorstudio named as ‘Best of the Best’ in the Interior Public Exhibition Content Design category.

Hyundai Motor’s new audio brand identity that was created last year earned the most prestigious honor in sound design, with a ‘Best of the Best’ Red Dot Design Award win. The ascending six-tone sequence is a brand centerpiece that extends across multiple customer touch-points, including in-car welcome sounds, showrooms, as well as television and radio communications. The Hyundai Sound adds another dimension to the Hyundai brand personality, building upon the key characteristics ‘essential’, ‘refined’ and ‘confident’.