Hyundai Motor Group has unveiled Pleos Connect, a next-generation in-vehicle infotainment system designed to fundamentally transform the customer mobility experience by combining a mobile-friendly platform with advanced AI. Marking the Group’s first major step in its transformation into a software-centric mobility leader, Pleos Connect is built on three core development pillars — intuitiveness, safety, and openness — and will receive continuous feature and performance enhancements via over-the-air software updates. The system debuted at a media event at UX Studio Seoul on April 29 and represents the mass-production version of the research and development concept first shown at the Group’s Pleos 25 developer conference in 2025.
The Pleos Connect cockpit features two main displays: a large central screen divided into a driving information section, an app screen for navigation and media, and a bottom bar for quick app access, as well as a slim display positioned directly in front of the driver for essential at-a-glance information. Physical buttons on the steering wheel and below the central screen allow quick control without requiring touchscreen interaction. A three-finger gesture system lets drivers instantly reposition or close app windows. The UX was developed through extensive research into driver behavior at the Group’s studios in Seoul, Irvine, Frankfurt, and Shanghai, and mirrors the familiarity of mobile devices to minimize distraction.
At the heart of Pleos Connect is Gleo AI, an advanced voice assistant built on a large language model. Gleo AI uses conversational and driving context to interpret abstract commands, processes multiple instructions within a single request, and can answer questions about news, weather, and sports through web searches. It draws directly from manufacturer-provided vehicle manuals to answer car-specific questions, identifies the speaker’s location within the cabin for precise commands, and is designed to evolve over time into a more personalized assistant tailored to individual driver characteristics. Pleos Connect also introduces an open App Market with initial partners including NAVER, YouTube, Spotify, and genie, and a developer platform called Pleos Playground that provides APIs and tools for third-party creators.
The system will debut on the new GRANDEUR in Korea in May, followed by a phased global rollout including the recently unveiled IONIQ 3 in Europe. By 2030, Hyundai Motor Group aims to equip approximately 20 million vehicles across its Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands with Pleos Connect. The Group also signaled its long-term ambition to expand beyond Software-Defined Vehicles toward Artificial Intelligence-Defined Vehicles, deepening the vehicle-human interaction through personalized AI at every stage of the driving experience.
KEY QUOTE:
“Pleos Connect is a next-generation infotainment system that offers customers an elevated mobility experience by combining a mobile-friendly platform with advanced AI technology. With the new Gleo AI and an open app market, users will experience the limitless potential of future mobility.”
Jongwon Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of the Feature & CCS Sub-Division, Hyundai Motor Group
