The Comeback of Legacy AutomakersAs the automotive sector is shaken by the parallel rise of EV brands like Tesla, and Chinese automakers making strong progress overseas, the legacy manufacturers are often dismissed by investors as un-innovative dinosaurs.However, this is not true for some of the strongest global brands, like #1 by number of cars sold Toyota (TM +0.12%) and #2 Volkswagen (VWAGY +0.37%) (follow the links to find a dedicated investment report about the innovations from these companies).The same can be said of the world's #3 largest car manufacturer, Hyundai Motors Company.Hyundai Motor Company HYMTF +0% )Hyundai is not only a leading automaker but also ahead of most of its competitors on electric and hydrogen powertrains. Since its 2021 acquisition of Boston Dynamics, Hyundai has also been a global leader in robotics.So, it is in a good position to rebound and become a leading force in the automotive and robotic sectors despite being currently valued as a declining legacy fuel car manufacturer.History of HyundaiThe company was founded in 1947 under the name Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company (Hyundai Togun), with a focus on construction projects and materials, including highways.The group would enter the automotive market in 1967 with the creation of the Hyundai Motor Company, and the company's first model, the Cortina, sold in cooperation with Ford Motor Company a year later. The company would progressively, over the next decade, develop its own models, in part through the hiring of top British car engineers and designers.Hyundai released the first South Korean car entirely designed domestically in 1975, the Pony, although it used a Japanese powertrain technology from Mitsubishi Motors.The company would pass the 1 million car build mark in 1985, with growing exports to Europe and Canada. It started selling cars in the USA in 1986, where its affordable modern design met with great success.In the 1990s, the company become fully autonomous from other automakers, developing its own transmission and gasoline engine. It also worked on improving its image from “cheap” to “quality”, notably with a 10-year (or 100,000-mile – 160,000 km) warranty for cars sold in the US.Following the the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Hyundai Motors would spin off from the Hyundai Group, separating it from Hyundai Heavy Industries Group ( 064350 ) with activities in oil, banking, and power generation.During the same crisis, the other South Korean car company, Kia, was hit even harder and filed for bankruptcy, leaving Hyundai to acquire 51% of the company for $6B. Today, Hyundai owns 34.16% of Kia , making it by far the company's largest shareholder.The Hyundai Motors CompanyThe company is currently mostly formed of 3 subdivisions:The car-making activity, including electric cars.Robot maker Boston Dynamics , to not be confused with Hyundai Robotics , an industrial robot producer now part of the independent company (but closely collaborating with Hyundai Motors) HD Hyundai / Hyundai Heavy Industries ., to not be confused with , an industrial robot producer now part of the independent company (but closely collaborating with Hyundai Motors)

BMW acquired a Spot quadruped from Boston Dynamics to conduct automated inspections in 2023. | Source: Boston Dynamics. BMW Group’s Hams Hall plant near Birmingham, England, generates oceans of data in the process of assembling its engines and components. Making sense of that data, and, more crucially, figuring out where its blind spots are, used to be like sorting through piles of puzzle pieces, according to Boston Dynamics. Now, with digital twin technology and Boston Dynamics‘ Spot quadruped, the automaker said it’s making the most of the data it generates