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The Hyundai Motor Group is shifting its identity from a traditional automaker into a global physical artificial intelligence (AI) platform provider, integrating robotics with software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Foreign institutional investors are pivoting their focus toward the group's robotics division, catalyzed by rapid advancements in humanoid commercialization led by the U.S.-based robotics subsidiary Boston Dynamics.

This structural transformation has sparked intense foreign buying interest in key group affiliates with stakes in Boston Dynamics, as well as partners supplying robotics control solutions, components, and automation systems.

According to data from the Hyundai Motor Group and the Korea Exchange on the 25th, foreign investors recorded a net inflow over the past 10 consecutive trading sessions, purchasing 134.5 billion won worth of Kia shares, 25.1 billion won of Hyundai Mobis, and 77.8 billion won of Hyundai Glovis. Investor sentiment has gravitated toward companies like Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Glovis, and Hyundai AutoEver as the mass production and factory deployment of the humanoid robot Atlas gain tangible momentum.

Notably, foreign investors are adjusting their semiconductor allocations in the Kospi market to accumulate shares of Hyundai Motor, positioning it at the top of their net buying lists as a leader in future mobility and the humanoid industry.

Wall Street and domestic brokerage firms have also begun incorporating the valuation of the robotics business separately from the automotive division when assessing Hyundai Motor's enterprise value. Driven by growing anticipation for the commercialization of Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot Atlas, the group's growth trajectory is widely viewed as having evolved beyond the limits of the legacy automotive industry.

Industry analysts estimate the standalone valuation of the robotics business accruing to Hyundai Motor at approximately 39 trillion won. Long term, the enterprise value of Boston Dynamics is projected to potentially exceed 100 trillion won. Global media outlets evaluate that Hyundai Motor has successfully overhauled its corporate identity, transforming from a pure-play automaker into a leading global pioneer of physical AI.

The technological evolution of Boston Dynamics continues to bolster investor confidence. The company recently released a demonstration of Atlas performing tasks ahead of its deployment to actual factory floors. In the footage, Atlas autonomously lifts, transports, and balances a compact refrigerator weighing approximately 23 kilograms.

Boston Dynamics attributed this capability to its reinforcement learning-based whole-body control technology. This indicates that the system has transitioned beyond controlled laboratory demonstrations to a level where it can execute physical tasks within unpredictable, unstructured industrial environments.

Group affiliates are expanding their strategic roles within this ecosystem. Hyundai Mobis is anchoring the establishment of a supply chain for critical humanoid components. Moving forward, the company is poised to expand its supply of core robotics hardware, including actuators and control units, positioning itself to grow from a conventional auto parts supplier into a comprehensive humanoid hardware platform provider.

Hyundai Glovis is similarly evolving from a legacy logistics firm into a robotics-powered smart logistics enterprise. The company is currently conducting proof-of-concept logistics automation trials utilizing Boston Dynamics' stretch-handling robot, Stretch, while accelerating the integration of group-wide robotics technologies across its broader fulfillment network.

Earlier this year at CES 2026, Hyundai Motor Group unveiled its strategic vision: "AI Robotics: Beyond the Lab and Into Life." The framework aims to expand robotics technology past production floors into logistics, commercial services, and daily consumer environments. To advance the underlying physical AI models, the group is actively pursuing strategic research collaborations with Google DeepMind.

"The recent rally across Hyundai Motor Group equities is a reflection of the market pricing in the humanoid business valuation led by Boston Dynamics, rather than a cyclical improvement in automotive market conditions," an industry insider noted. "The current stock performance demonstrates that these companies are beginning to command a growth-stock premium entirely distinct from legacy automotive peers."

                                                                                                              Kim A-yoon