Hyundai Motor Company is expanding its advanced parking convenience technologies across various vehicle classes. A prime example is the "Memory Reverse Assist" (MRA), which allows the vehicle to remember the path the driver took and automatically steer its way back out. The strategy is to leverage technology to alleviate the burden drivers feel in narrow alleys and parking lots, even as vehicle bodies continue to grow larger.

According to the automotive industry on the 21st, Hyundai Motor has applied Memory Reverse Assist (MRA) for the first time in its class to the 5th-generation "The All-New Tucson," which has undergone a full redesign after 6 years. This feature remembers the trajectory the vehicle has passed through and automatically controls steering during reverse, helping drivers navigate back along the path they entered. It is particularly useful in tight alleys or dead ends where turning the car around is difficult.

In particular, the new Tucson has grown larger compared to the previous generation. Its overall length, width, and wheelbase have increased by 60mm, 40mm, and 30mm, respectively. While this is advantageous for expanding interior space, driving in confined spaces can increase the burden on the driver. This is why Hyundai has applied a slew of parking convenience features alongside Memory Reverse Assist, including a Surround View Monitor with "transparent view" and "ground view," which displays the road surface beneath the vehicle on screen.

Hyundai first applied this feature to "The New Grandeur," released last May. When the vehicle travels at 30 km/h or less, it stores a forward path of up to 50 meters. When the feature is activated, it calculates the steering angle based on the stored path to assist in reversing at 10 km/h or less.

The second runner was the compact sedan, the Avante. Hyundai applied Memory Reverse Assist to the 8th-generation "The All-New Avante" unveiled last June, marking a first-in-class application. This means a convenience technology previously showcased in a flagship sedan trickled down to a mainstream mass-market car in about a month.

Now, the application scope has expanded even to the compact SUV, Tucson. Moving from the Grandeur to the Avante and then the Tucson, Memory Reverse Assist has spread from a selective convenience feature for luxury and large vehicles to mainstream vehicle classes. Industry watchers interpret this trend as highlighting the growing importance of technologies assisting with parking and low-speed driving, which aligns with recent new cars increasing their body sizes through generational changes.

Hyundai Motor is also expanding the application scope of advanced safety and convenience technologies beyond Memory Reverse Assist. The new Avante and Tucson feature "Pedal Misapplication Safety Assist," which limits driving force and helps apply the brakes if the driver abruptly presses the accelerator pedal instead of the brake. Additionally, the Tucson comes standard across all trims with "Forward Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist 2," which helps apply brakes if the risk of collision with pedestrians or obstacles increases during low-speed forward movement.

Next-generation digital technologies are following the exact same path. "Pleos Connect," a next-generation infotainment system embedded with the generative artificial intelligence (AI) "Gleo AI," was first applied to the Grandeur last May as a Hyundai first, then expanded to the Avante, and is now equipped in the Tucson for the first time among Hyundai SUVs.

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