Metaverse

Hyundai Motor enters metaverse sphere in tie-up with Meta Kongz

Il-Gue Kim

Apr 19, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)

▲ Hyundai x Meta Kongz NFT Project | Wondrous Adventures into the Metamobility universe

South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. has announced its foray into the non-fungible token market in partnership with Meta Kongz, an NFT brand known for its popular gorilla character.

The move, part of its efforts to enhance its brand recognition in the virtual sphere of the metaverse, will make Hyundai the world’s first carmaker to enter the online community-based NTF market. It will have its own NTF website and channels on Discord and Twitter, Hyundai said on Monday.

Some global automakers such as Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz have already issued NFTs, featuring exotic and luxury cars created virtually and sold in limited numbers for collectors. But Hyundai is the first to create community-based NFTs that allow owners to become part of the metaverse community Hyundai has created, it said.

Hyundai Motor plans to issue 30 limited edition Hyundai x Meta Kongz NFTs on Wednesday, which will be sold for one Ethereum apiece. The company said it will also create shooting star-shaped NFTs in May.

Hyundai joins hands with Meta Kongz to enter the NFT market

On its own NTF website and the Discord and Twitter channels, Hyundai plans to offer the price change of its NFTs in real-time.

PIONEER IN METAMOBILITY

“The Hyundai NFT universe will expand the Hyundai brand experience, especially with the MZ generation, in a completely new way, further reinforcing our commitment to innovation both in the real world and in the metaverse,” said Thomas Schemera, Hyundai’s global chief marketing officer and head of customer experience division.

Hyundai on Monday released a short film introducing the Hyundai NFT universe concept, “metamobility universe,” reflecting the metamobility concept unveiled at CES 2022.

Hyundai x Meta Kongz NFT design examples

At the electronics show in Las Vegas, Hyundai said it aims to pioneer the use of robotics in both the real world and the metaverse to provide a broader range of advanced mobility services.

According to Hyundai, what used to be a virtual experience due to technological limitations can be reflected in the real world through the connection of smart devices – a concept it has termed "metamobility," utilizing hardware as a real-world proxy for virtual reality interactions.

Metaverse users, it said, will be able to bring changes to the real world through robotics and digital twin technology, a virtual representation of a physical object.

Write to Il-Gue Kim at Black0419@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.

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