Articles by Laura Berry

LG has made a battery breakthrough that could bring down the costs of electric cars further, as the race to develop more efficient technology heats up.Electrical technology company LG Energy Solution and Seoul National University have announced a breakthrough in the development of Lithium Manganese-Rich (LMR) batteries. The breakthrough ensures better stability of the battery making it recharge more fully, lengthening its life time while also reducing the costs of production.You’ve heard of Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate batteries (LFP) and Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) batteries, well LMR batteries are the next generation of how electric cars will store their power.As the name suggests, LMR batteries contain lithium and manganese metals, but the advantages to them are hard to ignore.LMR batteries are super energy dense, which means they can be used for high performance cars that want colossal grunt, and for long driving ranges for everyday cars. They also don’t contain cobalt.  Currently cobalt is of great ethical concern regarding how it’s mined, the environmental factors of the material and the sheer cost. OK, we’re going to get a bit technical. So hold on. A barrier for LMR batteries until now is the recharging issues - they require a tonne of voltage to charge, but this destabilises the cathode and that means oxygen is lost and this causes the crystals to warp. Basically, the battery loses the ability to hold its charge over time, while capacity also fades. LG has worked out how to build LMR batteries that don’t need a high voltage to charge and this retains the structural integrity of the crystal structure and so there’s minimal battery fade over time.This is huge, but it’s very early days and the development is still in the research phase. LG is celebrating the breakthrough.“This research addresses one of the key challenges facing LMR batteries,” an LG Energy Solution spokesperson said in a press statement. “It demonstrates that stable battery life can be secured even in large-format cells by effectively suppressing gas generation, providing an important foundation for growth in the next-generation LMR battery market.”    Currently NMC batteries, which use cobalt are in high-powered or bigger cars that demand lots of grunt. Autobahn cruisers like the Porsche Taycan, big family SUVs, such as the Kia EV9 or long-legged EVs such as the Zeekr 7X need NMC batteries to provide substantial range and power.But NMC batteries are also why these vehicles are so expensive - the high cost of producing them from sourcing materials to making them is passed onto the consumer.LFP batteries don’t use cobalt, which is excellent, but they aren’t as energy dense as NMC batteries and that’s adequate for small cars and suburban family SUVs, but more range and power would be better.LMR batteries could replace LFP and NMC altogether, and this will reduce the price of EVs while ensuring long range and good driving performance, while not losing charging capacity over time.That’s why LG is celebrating this breakthrough and you can bet car companies will be watching the progress very closely. 

Car makers are constantly coming up with new features they think we need, from big screens to weird door handles. Often these cause more problems than they solve.We get it, since that very first person with a face full of mud 140 years ago said: “Geeze I wish my jalopy had some kind of screen to protect me from the wind”, manufacturers have been trying to wow us with newer and better features in the hope we’ll buy their product. Who can argue with windscreens and wipers, air-conditioning and airbags, radios and sound systems? And we love proximity unlocking, head-up displays and heated seats. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are superb, blind spot warning and parking sensors have saved us from embarrassment and saved lives. But then there are the other inventions that make you wonder what on Earth were they thinking?Vibrating seats? Door handles that disappear and are hard to use? Giant glass roofs in Aussie summers? Huge screens that have done away with all the real buttons? Safety alerts so distracting they’re possibly even dangerous?     We know what we want so here’s our list of features we’d like to see, and please jump in and tell us what you think cars need and maybe the message will get through to the carmakers.There are few features more disappointing than the voice command function in cars. The promise was a Chat GPT or Siri style helper that could not only carry out vehicle functions easily but also plan our journeys and organise our calendars. Well they couldn’t keep the promise, because the current versions in cars are next to useless.  Is it too much to ask for our real dials, switches and buttons back? Over the past five years we’ve watched them disappear before our eyes into touch screens, making the process of just turning the air-con temperature down an awkward process of finger swipes and stabs.The windscreen was a great idea, and combined with windscreen wipers, meant driving in all weather conditions was now possible. But are we not at the stage where a kind of smart chromatic glass can be used that adjusts to cut glare and brightness when driving into the sun. Yes, there are sun visors and sun glasses, but there are many reasons why these aren’t perfect.While we’re at it is there a better way to keep windscreens clear in torrential rain? Windscreen wipers are fantastic but can a charged windscreen be developed where water doesn’t hit it in the first place? Just asking… Full-sized spare wheels are heavy, take up space and are hard to change. But they’re better than space savers spare wheels, run flat tyres and repair kits.For years we’ve seen innovative tyre prototypes that aren’t filled with air and don’t puncture, but here we are a century later still driving around on balloons. Cars dent and scratch way too easily. The cost of repairing metal panels and respraying is huge, and means the car is off the road for weeks sometimes. Yes, the ultra high-strength steel and aluminium that’s used today is better than the steel we used to use, but why aren’t we using plant-based fibres and resins to build the bodies of our vehicles?  Steel is so last century.Actually it was last century in 1941 that Henry Ford patented his soybean car, which had a body made from plastics reinforced with hemp and flax fibres. The car was 500kg lighter than a regular steel car and up to 10 times stronger than steel. So what happened? World War II seemed to derail the push for bioplastics and steel continued to rule the world.

Australia has recently scrapped a few road laws, but there are still plenty of others I reckon need ditching, too. That’s right, as one financial year ends and another begins it’s not just accountants who get excited but road users can, too, because this is the time that old traffic laws are scrapped and new ones are introduced.This year one of the most popular changes will certainly be the scrapping of the road work speed limit during non-road work times in New South Wales. Previously road work speed limits have been enforced 24 hours a day and regardless of whether road work was taking place. The lower speed limits are designed to slow traffic down to 40km/h or even 20km/h and are crucial in protecting roadside workers. The only problem with this was the low speed zone still applied even outside road work times. On a busy motorway this led to some drivers sticking to 40km/h while others raced past at 110km/h. I’m glad this one has changed, but there are so many more that could do with scraping and replacing, too.Here’s a few that could do with changing, surely I’m not the only one who feels this way - feel free to jump with what you think needs changing on our roads, too.I’m completely against excessive speeding. I feel that if you’re in need of speed then you need to take it to a race track where you’ll be humbled very quickly. That said, I think speed cameras, especially the kind that are unmarked, are more about making money than saving lives. Scrap the speed cameras, but keep the red light cameras and bring in more police patrols with radars. That’ll save more lives and change driver behaviour.Running red lights is beyond stupid and dangerous and I personally think that red light cameras should be at every set of traffic lights, so what I’m about to may say sound ridiculous.I think drivers should be able to turn left on a red light upon stopping and checking to ensure the coast is clear. This works perfectly well in the US (all states allow a right turn on a red light) and it would work here too, improving traffic flow and actually increasing driver situational awareness.   Who knows how much trouble this one is going to get me into, but the law against going slightly over the speed limit while overtaking needs to be scrapped. This would only apply to single carriage ways and at no more than 10km/h over the speed limit. There’s a couple of good reasons for this.First I’ve experienced drivers speed up while I’m overtaking; second I’ve had vehicles from the other direction approach quicker than expected, and it’s not a good idea to have two cars travelling at speed barely 50cm apart together for any longer than a couple of seconds. Sometimes a little hustling is needed to get back to safety. Surely the less amount of time spent on the wrong side of the road the better. This is simple: if the left-hand lane ends and drivers have to form one lane then those in the continuing lane need to give way. The current law states that those in the lane that ends need to give way, but that’s ridiculous. They’re literally going to run out of a lane in a matter of seconds, let them in for goodness sake.South Australia, NSW and the Northern Territory only allow P platers to travel at a maximum speed of 90km/h or 100km/h, while the rest of the country allow them to travel at the maximum 110km/h speed limit. Really the P-Plater maximum speed should be in line with the rest of the traffic and an extra 10km/h to bring them to 110km/h would go some way to preventing other road users taking risks to get past them.Yes, the Northern Territory has some highways that are 130km/h, and no I don’t think a P-Plater is ready for that speed on a rough bit of tarmac like the Stuart. Anyway, that’s my list for now, and I’m sure I’ve missed many more but feel free to jump in and tell me the road rules you’d like to see scrapped and why.

The Zeekr 7X could be about to get a new addition to its Australian line-up, with reports of an 85kWh fast charging battery variant being added to the range.The news comes fresh out of China where government regulations require carmakers to publicly publish the specifications of upcoming vehicles. Zeekr’s published filing details an upcoming rear-wheel drive 7X that is the same in every way to the current model, but will have a bigger 85kWh battery. It offers quick charging and impressive range, while keeping weight and cost down.The new 85kWh battery for the Zeekr 7X is a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, up from the 75kWh unit in the current base 7X in Australia.Currently the 7X line-up consists of a 75kWh LFP battery variant and a 100kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery variant. NMC batteries are more energy dense and heavy, but offer long ranges and more power. LFP on the other hand are more thermally stable, can handle being charged more often to 100 per cent and are cheaper as they do without certain rare metals such as cobalt.Zeekr hasn’t disclosed the range of the 85kWh battery, but it will fall between the 480km (WLPT) range of the 75kWh unit and the 615km (WLPT) of the 100kWh NMC battery.An electric vehicle with more than 500km of real world driving range is a preferable choice and the 85kWh battery is likely to offer this extra distance over the 75kWh variant.CarsGuide has reached out to Zeekr Australia to find out if and when the 85kWh variant will join the 7X line-up, but the company has yet to respond.As for the price Australians could expect this to fall between the $57,900 list price of the  75kWh 7X and the $63,900 of the 100kWh 7X.

Having spent three months living with a Volkswagen ID.5 this year and knowing that it’s reportedly set to be discontinued, I can now tell you what I really think of this electric mid-sized SUV.Well, I always tell you what I really think and you can read my long-term review of the ID.5 where I call out where it missed the mark. But it still bothers me that Volkswagen dropped the ball so badly with its first electric car (alongside the ID.4) for Australia.If you don’t know the ID.5 is an SUV about the size of a Volkswagen Tiguan and it’s the coupe-ish version its ID.4 twin. At about $63,000 it's the same price as a mid-range Tiguan, too. The problem is, it's not a Tiguan.Fortunately it appears Volkswagen has realised this and the ID.5 looks set to eventually be axed and the ID.4 will be replaced by a new model called the ID.Tiguan.Volkswagen would be hoping that the overhaul addresses the ID.4 and 5's issues. With Chinese car companies gaining so much ground Volkswagen can’t afford to get it wrong.Really the issues with the ID.5 and ID.4 are to do with practicality and utility which are two of the pillars on which Volkswagen has built its reputation.The ID.4 and ID.5 have poor practicality and utility compared to other mid-sized electric SUVs and there’s absolutely no excuse. We rate cars based on whether they are fit for purpose and neither of those models are fit for purpose as a family SUV.Passenger space isn’t great, cabin storage is almost non-existent, the boot size isn’t large enough and there's no front boot.It boggles my mind that a car with a 2.8m wheelbase (the Tiguan’s is 2.7m) and with no bulky combustion engine, transmission or driveshaft eating into the passenger cell could have such poor cabin space and storage.Again, this is coming from a family car perspective. If you don't require that much space or utility, it's a lovely EV to drive.Volkswagen Group’s Head of Design Klaus Zyciora oversaw the ID.4 and ID.5. He’d been with Volkswagen for 35 years and worked on everything from the Mk IV Golf onwards, including the Tiguan. There are videos of Zyciora walking us through the design of the ID.4 and ID.5 and, like a detective trying to put the pieces of a crime together, I’ve watched them to discover the motive behind this automotive misdemeanour.I do like the exterior design of the ID.4 and ID.5 with its curvy and muscular lines, and the interior is also visually pleasing in a minimalist way, but the car is a perfect example of form over function.Well it’s not Zyciora’s problem any more. He's now Vice President and Global Head of Design for Chinese carmaker Changan. Zycior was replaced by Michael Mauer in 2023 as Volkswagen Group’s new design boss. Mauer arrived having designed every Porsche since 2004 inside and out, and while that also includes the polarising 2007 Cayenne facelift, he also penned the beautiful 991 911, 918 Spyder, Macan and Taycan.With Zycior gone, Mauer would have been part of the clean-up team to fix the ID.4 and ID.5 before handing over the reins to the Group’s current design chief Andreas Mindt in 2026. By the time Mindt arrived in March this year the ID.Tiguan had been snapped cold weather testing in Germany a month before.Will the new ID.Tiguan come with all the practicality and utility problems fixed? It will be based on the MEB+ platform which is an evolution of what underpins the ID.4 and ID.5, so hopefully.It’s likely the ID.Tiguan will be revealed this year and go on sale in 2027. When will it come to Australia? Well, it took the ID.4 and ID.5 five years to reach us after they launched in Europe but I doubt we will be waiting that long this time.But when it does arrive you can bet I’ll be checking to see if VW dropped the ball again or if they got it right.

Passenger media screens aren’t appealing to most car owners, a recent report into new and emerging car technology has revealed.Screens in cars are the current big thing, and quite literally, too, with media displays growing larger. The Cadillac Optiq SUV for example has a 33-inch horizontal display. But we’re now in the era of front passenger displays, as well.Often found in more premium vehicles the dashboard integrated screen allows the front passenger to see and control media, sat nav and other functions including watching movies in some cases. Porsche’s Taycan features a passenger media display in a cockpit full of screens.A multitude of screens may look impressive but in reality owners of vehicles that had them found the technology unappealing according to a new report by United States automotive analysts JD Power.  The JD Power 2026 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study reported that many owners of vehicles with passenger screens didn’t use them.    “More than one-third (35 per cent) of owners industrywide who have a passenger screen say they have never tried to use it, while just six per cent say they use it every time they drive.” It was also found that vehicles with passenger media screens experienced more instances of technical problems.The study found the technology owners placed the most value in was often the kind that was integrated so well into the functions of the vehicle that it was barely perceptible other than making the driving experience better.  JD Power Director of Customer Success Doron Hikry said, “The technology customers value most is often the technology they barely notice because it simply works.”“Smart ignition and smart climate control make everyday driving easier without demanding the driver’s attention, while more automation and additional screens don’t necessarily translate into a better experience. “For automakers, the opportunity is to prioritise technology that makes driving simpler, not more complicated. The features that solve real problems without adding effort or stress for the driver are the ones resonating most with customers,” he said.CarsGuide’s own reviewers have found similar results with proximity unlocking and smart ignition high on our lists of great technology. Low on our lists? Controls that were once accessed with physical dials and buttons being replaced by screens. We’re talking about climate control and sound system volume, especially.Regulators are keeping an eye on some of these features, with EuroNCAP and ANCAP considering expanding on physical control requirements in the future.A host of other frustrating features in many new cars like electronic doorhandles were recently banned by Chinese regulators, with the changes expected to flow through for cars sourced from China in our market.

The number of Australians willing to buy an electric car has increased dramatically, with now only 17 percent of people stating they wouldn’t consider an EV according to a report by the NRMA.Australian tastes are rapidly changing when it comes to how we want our vehicles powered. And while combustion vehicles still rule our roads with the majority of new cars bought still have petrol and diesel engines, the uptake of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) is increasing.According to the NRMA’s latest Changing Gears report 31 percent of Australians in 2026 would consider a battery electric vehicle (BEV) compared to 20 percent in 2024.Additionally, consideration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) has increased from 41 percent in 2024 to 58 percent in 2026.The report also found that the number of Australians who would not consider an EV was now just 17 percent.The Changing Gears report found that lower prices of electric cars, better infrastructure and rising petrol costs were some of the main motivating factors for the change in attitudes towards EVs.“There’s no doubt 2026 has been the tipping point for EV adoption. More affordable vehicles, expanded charging infrastructure and government incentives have all helped move EVs into the mainstream,” NRMA CEO Julie Batch said.“At the same time, rising petrol prices and concerns about long-term fuel security have given consumers even more reason to consider an EV.” The NRMA report found several barriers, both real and perceived, were preventing Australians from considering an electric car.Of the 17 percent of people who would not consider an EV, the biggest concern was battery life with 60 percent saying this was a major barrier; 56 percent also felt that driving range was also a substantial reason not to buy an EV; 54 percent saw charging time as a factor that put them off; and finally 52 percent also felt fire risk stood in the way of them purchasing an electric car.“Some of the concerns we see around battery health and safety don't reflect the reality of modern EVs, but that doesn't mean they should be ignored. The challenge is helping Australians separate fact from fiction and to make decisions based on reliable information," Ms Batch said.“For example, independent battery testing is already widely available and can provide buyers with a clear picture of a battery's condition. When it comes to fires, EV battery fires are extremely rare and when charged correctly, there’s virtually zero fire risk.”The NRMA says that approximately 500,000 EVs are currently on Australian roads accounting for about three percent of the nation's entire number of registered cars.This number is expected to rise to approximately 10 percent by 2030, with CSIRO modelling  predicting that 97 percent of light passenger cars will be electric by 2050.Right now affordable Chinese EVs are proving hugely popular with Australians. Electric SUVs such as the BYD Sealion 7, Geely EX5 and Zeekr 7X are now more popular than past Aussie combustion favourites such as the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5 and Subaru Forester.

If you’re looking for an electric mid-sized SUV but don’t really want to drive another BYD, Geely or Zeekr just like everybody else seems to, then the Cadillac Optiq probably has your name all over it. Well, you’ll know if it does after you read this quick review. Yes, American brand Cadillac is back in Australia although you may not have missed it because it was the 1960s that the brand was here last. Now it’s back but this time with an all-electric line-up.Cadillac is General Motors' luxury sub-brand. Think Lexus to Toyota, only with way more history and a strong, glitzy show-biz connection. Elvis had more than 100 of them, although would he have an electric one today?So the Optiq is a little upmarket, a little bit luxurious even, but hoping to win over Aussies at a competitive price. Oh and yes that is Optiq with a “q”.In Australia the Optiq range consists of one grade and it lists for $80,000, before on-road costs. That prices it above many affordable, mainstream electric SUVs like the Geely EX5 or BYD Sealion 7 but not quite as high as the Mercedes-Benz EQB, Polestar 4 and BMW iX3. Instead the Optiq competes with the pricer end of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 range, Skoda Enyaq and Zeekr 7X.Standout features include the 33-inch display which stretches from the centre of the dash to the driver’s side for media and the instrument cluster. The standard 19-speaker AKG stereo is excellent. The seats are heated up front and in the second row. The panoramic glass roof is expansive and opens, plus there’s a thick screen to close and keep the glare out.The Optiq has two electric motors - one at the front and the other at the rear - making this SUV all-wheel drive. The combined output of the motors is 224kW and 480Nm which isn’t huge especially considering its rather hefty 2379kg weight, so a 0-100km/h time isn’t outstanding for a sporty EV at 6.3 seconds.According to Cadillac the 75kWh battery provides 425km of driving range and energy consumption of 19.9kWh/100km.My own testing saw our car use slightly more at 21.2kWh/100km. The range is relatively normal compared to other EVs this size, as is the consumption.The Optic feels lower to the ground than most SUVs but also more solid and planted than a lot of its rivals. That said the steering feels heavy and acceleration isn't nearly as brisk as some rivals.But this is a super comfortable car - from the seats to the ride and dynamically, the Optiq is impressive for its weight and size.Adding to the serene driving experience is a super quiet cabin with active noise cancellation.A head-up display would make driving through Sydney’s ever-changing speed zones easier and the overly enthusiastic safety alerts are annoying - from the seat belt chimes the moment you get into the car to the driver distraction and speed warnings. The Optiq isn’t small at 4820mm end-to-end l but it is sleek rather than tall and boxy, and this reduces its cargo carrying ability.The boot is large at 744 litres, but the large sloping hatch means it’s deep rather than high. Oh and the Optiq is a five-seater only.Rear seats are comfortable and head and legroom is great back there, even for me at 189cm tall. Cabin storage is also impressive with big door pockets, a cleverly designed wireless phone charger, along with shelves and lots of storage under the floating centre console.So as a sleek and low SUV the Optiq is surprisingly practical. We lived with it for a week with my young family of four and I am happy with almost everything… but there are some things I’d change on this car.The Optiq is a nicely crafted, comfortable SUV, but there’s a few things I’d have trouble living with having spent a week testing this car. First, the door handles would be high on my list of things to change. The thin, stick-like handles just made opening these big heavy doors so hard for me and impossible for my children. Second, the Optiq has vibrating seats - yes, you read that right. They vibrate as parking sensors to let you know how close you’re getting to objects and also in conjunction with  blind spot warning. It’s gross and I don’t like it.Third, the styling. I don’t mind the Optiq from the front, but the side profile is very awkward to my eyes, while the rear is ungainly.It’s disappointing. A Cadillac should have a large, confident, show-stopping presence with a hint of Hollywood and the Optiq really misses the mark in the style stakes. Cadillac offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty in Australia with an eight-year/160,000km warranty on the EV battery. Servicing is required every 12,000km and 12 months.

Australia will begin testing Artificial Intelligence intersections with traffic lights that can see you coming and change to green.The AI traffic light test will be the first of its kind and will be trialled on a small intersection in Queensland’s Moreton Bay.The system by Austrian traffic technology company SWARCO is currently in use in Denmark, and while the first Australian test is small, a larger version will start testing in Brisbane later this year.The intersection chosen for the AI traffic light test will be the junction of Paper Avenue and Moreton Parade in the suburb of Petrie in Moreton Bay.While not a tiny intersection the junction isn’t on main transport routes and will allow a fairly safe environment to see how the technology handles regular, but light traffic.The first testing in Moreton bay will start in September, 2026.In Australia currently, traffic lights work on sensors embedded in the road that detect waiting traffic and work on timers. It’s the same automated system that’s been in place since the 1970s and while it’s extremely reliable and safe, it’s also not flexible enough to respond to traffic needs. The system being tested in Moreton Bay will use camera sensors to provide live data to intelligent software that can manage traffic flow at intersections. The AI will not only be able to see traffic, but will be able to identify all types of road users from buses, trucks and cars to motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians.The system learns how the traffic flows over the day and is important specifically for that intersection and it will react autonomously depending on the situation.This means you won’t be left waiting for a green light at an empty intersection late at night. Instead the traffic lights know it's empty and can see you approaching and flick to green to let you through so you won’t even have to stop.The same goes for pedestrians, with the system seeing you approach and ensuring a safe time for you to cross.   AI traffic lights can also recognise emergency vehicles and help clear the way for them.The test in Moreton Bay will run from September 2026 and finish in 2029, but later this year a larger $15m trial will begin in Brisbane.The Brisbane trial will encompass road corridors, not just an individual intersection. This is where AI systems become even more useful in managing traffic flow with intersections effectively all being able to communicate with each other. Other states are also currently trialling AI but not on the same scale, with NSW testing thermal imaging and camera systems for cyclists, while LIDAR systems are also being developed to help better manage road use.Some European countries have already adopted the AI traffic systems including Denmark, while specific locations in the United States have recently started using intelligent intersections too. 

Hyundai now fully owns one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robot makers - Boston Dynamics - but don’t expect to be able to buy a Hyundai robot friend soon.In June United States robotics company Boston Dynamics became 100 per cent owned by Hyundai Motor Group after it bought SoftBank’s remaining 9.65 per cent share.Boston Dynamics has long been developing advanced robotics and you’d absolutely know its work.There’s Spot the robot guard dog, which can eerily open doors with its disturbing ‘mouth hand’ and runaround autonomously armed with sensors that can detect and identify intruders.But it’s Atlas, the humanoid robot, which is the company’s flagship. Atlas is 1.9m tall, weighs 90kg and is a fully-electric AI-powered robot that can lift enormously heavy objects, run and even dance.There’s nothing worse than a dancing robot. I don’t know about you, but a robot that can instantly do something humans spend their life trying to master is worrying. But I digress.  The Softbank buyout now means Hyundai can do whatever it wants with the Boston Dynamics company, including mass production and commercialisation of the robots. And that’s exactly what Hyundai plans to do, but don’t expect your next Hyundai Santa Fe to come with its own robot, not unless one has escaped the factory where the cars are made.See, Hyundai’s plan is to replace its human workforce in its car production factories with robots. Yes, robots are already used in areas like spray painting and transporting parts around plants, but in Hyundai’s case it will be large scale and in roles currently performed by humans.In the US, where Hyundai and sister company Kia build several models, 25,000 humanoid robots will be deployed starting in 2028.This will be just the start.Hyundai hopes to mass produce up to 30,000 robots per year and will see deployment to all its factories.When Hyundai first bought a controlling 80 per cent stake in Boston Dynamics in 2021 I interviewed executives at Hyundai’s HQ in Korea asking them why the car company needed a robot company. The answer was a typically general response.“Hyundai Motor Group strategically aims to transform itself from a conventional automobile manufacturer to a Smart Mobility Solution Provider,” we were told by Hyundai’s HQ.“To propel this transformation, the Group has invested substantially in the development of future technologies, including robots, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence (AI), Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and smart factories. The Group considers robotics as one of the most important pillars to transform into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider.”What Hyundai didn’t tell me was that the best thing about humanoid robots is that it means you don’t have to change your current factory design which is set up for humans.Hyundai says the robots will first start in the US at its Georgia factory in 2028, and then Kia’s Georgia plant in 2029.Hyundai says its robot roll-out will take place in phases with the first being centred on logistics and parts sequencing, before moving onto a second phase which will be more complex jobs such as assembly.The plan doesn’t begin and end with the US. Hyundai wants to deploy robots to all its factories and as you can imagine this hasn’t gone down well with workers who fear they will lose their jobs.The powerful Korean Metal Workers Union has 180,000 members and last week voted to strike over the threat of a robot workforce."We are concerned about job security because of robots," a union member told the Financial Times. "News reports and videos showing robots becoming more dexterous make workers nervous about the future."The union has demanded that no robot will be allowed on the factory floor without its approval and a tentative agreement between Hyundai Motor Group and the union had been drawn up with the details currently being finalised.Hyundai has argued robots were necessary, citing Korea's aging workforce and shrinking labour market. The unions argue something quite different, and say wages and other working agreements aren't being met.n a statement in January this year Hyundai said it would be “partnering humans with co-working robots”.  “Robots designed to assist and collaborate with people starting from manufacturing environments, performing hazardous and dangerous, as well as repetitive tasks,” the statement reads.I think we’ll look back on statements like this in a decade to come and wonder if we really believed it at the time, because of course robots will take over almost all duties in a factory completely. We’ve seen AI replace hundreds of thousands of people in the tech industry and I think we’d be naive to think AI robotics won’t move into physically demanding roles once performed by humans.The loss of knowledge and skills possessed by humans is bad but more importantly people need jobs in order to feed their families and, you know, actually live.But who am I kidding, Henry Ford probably would have replaced his human workforce overnight if there were humanoid robots in 1913.Besides, so much of a vehicle’s production is already done through automation from welding to spray painting. It’s only in the final assembly process that humans are involved to a much greater degree due to the small spaces and dexterity needed to install wiring and to put the interior together.But this will likely be taken over in a decade or so by robots who can carry out these duties just as well.Quality control at car plants is currently 100 per cent done by humans, but again... this could change, too.And just to be fair, the rise of humanoid robots in car manufacturing isn’t just a Hyundai thing, it’s an entire auto industry thing. It is also just a tiny part of global robotics and AI phenomenon that will affect all areas of business and our lives.I find it all worrying, especially as a parent of kids who are thinking about jobs and careers. Perhaps human-made will have a resurgence and we'll value anything created by people even more?