The Next Awaits campaign, Hyundai Motors
Hyundai’s new brand campaign ‘Next Awaits’ represents the company’s origin and how it developed. Hyundai Motors created ‘Next Awaits’ based on the story from the biography of the company's founder, Chung Ju-yung, and it also reveals how Nexo was created.
The founder Chung with the Hyundai Pony. He built a bridge before he developed the company’s first car, Pony
He built roads and bridges because he always wanted to make lives better, and now it became the company's philosophy.
For the campaign, the Hyundai Next drove all the way to Hangang Bridge, Gyeongbu Expressway, Hyundai Motors Ulsan Plant, and Hyundai Seosan Farm. These places represent the history of Hyundai Motors.
Hangang Bridge, A 100-Year History in Seoul
Hangang Bridge is the very first fixed crossings built by Hyundai Engineering & Construction.
Han River had no fixed crossings back in the early 1900s, and plans for a road bridge did not materialize until 1917 when the original footbridge(Indogyo) opened. This first bridge dramatically enhanced the quality of lives.
Nexo runs under the arches of Hanging Bridge.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War back in 1950, the bridge was destroyed and then fully rebuilt in 1958 by Hyundai Engineering & Construction. Now it connects the districts of Yongsan-gu to the north and Dongjak-gu to the south, and it has been watching the city change for the past 100 years.
Gyeongbu Expressway, Backbone of the Country
The Gyeongbu Expressway Tollgate. It has been there for over 50 years.
Being 400km-long, Gyeongbu Expressway was built by Hyundai E&C among other companies, to revive the country again after the Korean War, around the year 1968. Ju-yung Chung, the founder of Hyundai E&C, led the construction himself.
The hydrogen charging station in the middle of a highway in Anseong
50 years after Gyeongbu Expressway was built, Hyundai Motors showcased its FCEV NEXO back in 2018. 5-minute charging can store about 6 kilograms of hydrogen, which is enough to drive 600km. This groundbreaking vehicle capable of long-distance trips will be leading the new era of mobility.
Nexo emits zero CO2, and even purifies the air as it drives on the streets.
The Hyundai Nexo is greener than any other car in the world. It emits zero CO2, and even purifies the air as it drives on the streets. This is the reason FCEVs have a bright future.
Ulsan, Motherland of Hyundai Motors
After the renovation first time in forty years, the Hyundai Nexo running in front of the main entrance of the Hyundai Ulsan Plant.
ADAS is not just about safety; it’s about providing convenience as well. Hyundai/Kia’s new HDA (Highway Driving Assist) System, for example, adjusts the speed according to the preset following distance and maintains the car’s position at the center of the lane. And by using Smart Cruise Control(SCC), sensors automatically maintain the speed set by the driver while keeping a safe distance from the car in front. LKA provides steering intervention to assist the vehicle staying in the center of the lane. Lane Following Assist(LFA) also helps the driver stay in the lane on highways.
Now the car heads to Ulsan city. Thanks to its massive infrastructure - expressways, trains, airports, and ports -, Ulsan could be the hub of shipbuilding or automobile manufacturing.
It is hard to see the whole gigantic Hyundai Ulsan Plant.
Built in 1968, the Hyundai Ulsan Plant is 1.5 times bigger than Yeoyi Island, or 670 soccer stadiums combined together. The facility houses five automobile factories and other plants for producing transmission or engines, including the 3.2km-long test drive route.
Being right next to Tae-hwa river, the Ulsan Plant has its own quayage that can house three of 50,000-ton ships. First worked with Equador and then having businesses with 200 countries currently, this plant meant everything to the founder, Mr.Chung.
The glowing Hyundai Ulsan Plant in the industrial complex.
So basically Hyundai Ulsan Plant is a cradle of Hyundai Motors. This is the very place where Hyundai's first sedan was created, Pony, and has made hundreds of vehicles to export around the world. The plant is still lit brightly, leading the industry.
Nexo being manufactured in Ulsan Plant.
The Hyundai FCEV Nexo is also manufactured here. Around the plant is a forest full of endangered species, and employees are trying their best to decrease pollutants and to protect our environments.
Nexo in city lights. The trim is designed to make the interior look as if it’s soaring.
The Hyundai Nexo is manufactured in a very green way, using eco-friendly materials in every process. Biomaterials are everywhere - in plastic or paints, for environmental reasons, and Nexo even used recycled plastic to emit fewer pollutants.
Nexo in front of Tae-hwa-roo, showing its futuristic exterior design.
Ulsan is the city for Nexo, even if it were not for the Hyundai Ulsan Plant. Ulsan announced to be the best hydrogen city in the world by 2030. This city can produce hydrogen for fuel already, and it possesses quality infrastructures for hydrogen distribution.
Seosan Land Reclamation Project
Founder Chung in Seosan under the reclamation project.
Back then, the founder Chung also cared for South Korean food production. This is why he began the land reclamation project in Seosan. This project even changed how the map looks, and Chung wanted this project to be done more than any other business.
Nexo runs along the Seosan Sea Wall.
Since the 1970s, Hyundai has been utilizing new technology to design and build extensive reclamation projects. The Seosan Reclamation Project, launched in 1979 and completed in 1995, was the first large-scale system to be organized by a private enterprise in Korea. The total length of the breakwater is 7.7 km, and the reclaimed area is 101,220,000m²(38,076 acres).
There is Asan Memorial Hall in the middle of Hyundai Seosan Farm. Here, Next met its ancestor, the Hyundai Galloper.
There is Asan Memorial Hall in the middle of Hyundai Seosan Farm. It is to commemorate the founder Chung, and he once used the place during the reclamation project. His own car, the Hyundai Galloper, is also preserved well in the hall.
Hyundai Seosan Farm maintains the quality of the production of their grain crops.
Back then Chung did not want a single kid to starve in this country. The result was the Hyundai Seosan Farm, constructed in 2005. Hyundai produces crops through eco-friendly farming and also distributes beef from its cattle farms.
Seosan solar power plant for green energy production
Deep inside the Hyundai Seosan Farm, Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems Co., energy subsidiaries under South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Group built the country’s largest solar power plant on land. The power station would generate enough electricity to supply 22,000 households. Hyundai Electric has been expanding its footprint in the energy solutions market with its self-developed platform, a smart energy management system that analyzes and monitors energy use in a factory to enhance efficiency.
‘Progress for Humanity’ Never Stops
The Hyundai Nexo at the Hyundai HQ in Seoul, South Korea.
Now, the car is back in Seoul, a megacity where 10 million people live. The country became the 11th largest economy in the world only within a short period. The company still remembers the legacy of the founder.
The company will play a pivotal role in global society’s transition in the next 50 years, and this is the essence of ‘Progress for Humanity’.
History does not record itself by accident. Through the 2025 strategy, Hyundai Motor Company will provide freedom of movement to everyone by investing in mobility services, by building a close relationship with leading mobility service providers and expanding our role beyond the automotive transportation sector. The company will play a pivotal role in global society’s transition, and this is the essence of ‘Progress for Humanity’.
Photograph. Bum-Suk Kim
