Hyundai joined the crowded field of automated vehicle prototypes at the 2017 CES with a self-driving Ioniq. Previously rolled out last fall, at the Los Angeles auto show, Hyundai?s autonomous Ioniq concept stands out for what it lacks?any visible autonomous tech.
That’s because Hyundai is choosing to forgo the typical roof-mounted lidar and instead hides the technology behind the car?s front-bumper cover. The lidar system works with a windshield-header-mounted camera array, a GPS antenna, and more run-of-the-mill automated-vehicle technology such as the adaptive cruise control’s forward-facing radar system, cameras for the lane-keeping assist function, and blind-spot monitors to navigate the Ioniq without human assistance.

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Still, don’t expect a self-driving Ioniq to show up at your local dealer?s lot anytime soon. In fact, through 2016, the brand didn’t deliver a single Ioniq model, despite the fact that the hybrid and electric variants were originally slated for a late-2016 release. Meanwhile, Hyundai remains mum on pricing specifics for the high-efficiency hatchback, which also will be available with a plug-in-hybrid powertrain later in 2017. Dazzled athough we are by Hyundai?s ability to hide its autonomous Ioniq concept’s lidar system, we’d...