Hyundai Motor-backed Motional names AI veteran Laura Major as CEO

Motional Inc., the autonomous driving joint venture backed by Hyundai Motor Group, has appointed Laura Major, an artificial intelligence and robotics veteran, as its new president and chief executive officer, the company announced on Thursday.

Her promotion comes as the company prepares for the commercial launch of its autonomous driving services, slated for 2026.

Major has been with Motional since its formation in 2020, serving as chief technology officer and, since last September, as interim CEO.

She spearheaded the development of the firm’s machine learning-first autonomous driving stack and Hyundai Motor Co.'s all-electric IONIQ 5 robotaxi, one of the first fully driverless vehicles to receive US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) certification.  

As CEO, Major will guide Motional’s AI technology development and oversee the launch of its driverless ride-hailing services, with an initial rollout targeted for next year.

Founded as a 50-50 venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv PLC in 2020, Motional has since undergone a significant ownership reshuffle.

Hyundai has invested nearly $1 billion into the company, including a $475 million capital infusion and a $448 million equity purchase from Aptiv, raising its ownership to approximately 85%. Aptiv’s equity interest has dropped to about 15%.  

Hyundai’s move to take control of Motional underscores its strategy to integrate autonomous technology into its broader mobile ambitions. The IONIQ 5 platform is central to these plans, serving as the base vehicle for Motional’s driverless fleet.  

Motional has already tested prototype robotaxis in cities, including Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Singapore.

“In partnership with Hyundai, we’re bringing embodied AI to transportation and introducing significant societal benefits,” Motional CEO Major said in a statement.

“Leveraging our deep expertise in building fully driverless systems and our agility in realizing the latest AI breakthroughs, we are strongly positioned to unlock a future where safe autonomous vehicles are a practical part of daily life.”

Write to Sookyung Seo at skseo@hankyung.com

Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.