I recently took a trip with Hyundai Motor Philippines (HMPH) to South Korea to witness this year’s Seoul Mobility Show. We had a jam-packed itinerary, with one activity scheduled after the other.
On the day we visited the show, we were also set to go to the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang—it’s an immersive exhibit right across the Korean International Exhibition Center (Kintex) which was where Seoul Mobility Show was held. Frankly, I didn’t really expect much from it, but little did I know that I was in for quite the treat.
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The experience began with a look around at the models under the Hyundai and Genesis brands. Various vehicles were on display, from small cars like the Casper to luxury sedans like the G80 Electrified. In this massive showroom, visitors can check out and feel all the cars available. Experts are also on standby and they’ll happily address all of your questions relating to the car.
After a quick walk around the showroom, we began our guided tour of the studio, which was kicked off by the interactive display of how Hyundai builds its cars. Hyundai Motor Company takes pride in how it begins its carmaking process all the way down from the processing of iron ores into sheet metal.
This was followed by a trio of large capsules where we were shown how Hyundai’s robots function to build the cars. We saw how sheet metals are stamped, how the panels are welded onto the frames, how the cars are painted, and how parts like the seats and the windshield are assembled—all of these were done autonomously by robotic arms. That’s technology for you.
We were also shown how Hyundai crash-tests its cars, and we were able to get up close and personal with sample crash-test dummies as well as a previous subject car complete with the crumpled bumper. If you have to ask, though, then no—we didn’t watch actual testing.
The studio also housed an immersive display of how its hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains work. Using movable cubes on a glass display, we were shown how the Nexo’s hydrogen-powered engine worked. It’s a fun way to explain advanced technology such as this, and it simplifies the mechanical process in a way that even those who aren’t well-versed in automotive engines will be able to understand.
The tour continued with a preview of Hyundai’s purpose-built vehicles (PBVs). These PBVs are autonomous mobility concepts part of a smart city of the future, and they’ll change not just how we move but also how we live. The PBVs on display didn’t exactly run yet, but the cabins were already operational, so we were still able to catch even just a portion of the full experience.
Afterwards, we moved to more interactive displays. The next two showed the concepts of connectivity and design, and they were nothing short of spectacles. Words won’t do this one justice, so I suggest you just check out some of the videos below to better visualize what we saw.
The last interactive part of the tour was the 4D ride experience that allowed us to get a taste of what it feels like to ride a Hyundai rally car. This part was also the precursor to the Hyundai N display that followed, which showed the Korean brand’s motorsport history that eventually led to its World Rally Championship title in 2019.
We then made our exit via the merchandise shop which also marked the end of the guided tour. Here, various Hyundai and N-branded apparel as well as die-cast models and all sorts of items were for sale. It was an outright budol area, and hat-tip to Hyundai for laying out the tour this way. Some of us weren’t able to resist the urge and ended up buying some merch before we left.
In the end, I can genuinely say I had a wonderful time at the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang, and it’s a place I’d recommend to anyone visiting this area of South Korea. Hyundai also has similar facilities in Seoul, Hanam, and Busan. Whether you’re into cars or not, I reckon you’ll also enjoy the experience as much as we did. It’s kid-friendly, too, which is just the icing on top.
Oh, we were also given a chance to test-drive some of Hyundai’s latest cars. But I’ll save that experience for another story. There’s a preview of that below.
