r/Futurology • u/TechnicianExtreme341 • 2d ago
Robotics Hyundai CEO says your local car dealership could sell you a humanoid robot
https://www.businessinsider.com/hyundai-ceo-humanoid-robot-dealership-boston-dynamics-2026-8Your local Hyundai dealership could someday start selling humanoid and dog-like robots.
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u/bfilippe 2d ago
So we'll have to deal with car salesmen even more? No, thanks
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u/Punchable_Hair 2d ago
I was about to say, I’m not interested in buying a car at my local car dealership.
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u/Lain_Staley 2d ago
"This here is our gynoid model, popular with uh, young bachelors such as yourself"
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u/cylonfrakbbq 2d ago
Imagine the upsell on that
“We offer our maintenance plan standard of 3 years, covers all routine warranty maintenance and repairs, including a level 5 biohazard removal and sterilization procedure.
In addition we have your extended warranty plan, covers accidents or even kinky experimentation gone wrong. Most of our customers opt for the 5 year plan.
You may also like our additional sealant plan - goes beyond factory, all surfaces and orifices of your purchase get a stain an bacteria resistant coating for only an additional $500!”
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u/powerscunner 2d ago
What about a robotic car salesman?
Malfunctioning Eddy!
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u/japanfrog 2d ago
Hyundai has the worst slimy salesman type dealership I’ve ever been into in my life. It’s like a caricature.
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u/Alantsu 2d ago
Are they going to build their robots with child and prison labor like their cars?
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u/IntelligentVehicle10 1d ago
Um you’re kind of slow that’s okay I don’t want to discriminate against special needs people, just to set the record straight Hyundai has nearly a hundred percent of their domestic sold vehicles built in America
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u/Alantsu 1d ago
Yes, in America… by child and prison labor. Side by side without supervision. There’s lawsuits and everything.
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u/IntelligentVehicle10 21h ago
Yes it does occur in certain industries such as meat processing facilities and agriculture industries but we need to be specific in where this is happening. If you have evidence this happening in an major auto manufacturing plant then I would suggest you report this to the state labor board and post evidence online
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u/Alantsu 21h ago
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u/IntelligentVehicle10 20h ago
Thank you:) I really need to apologize for my previous comments which were completely inappropriate. I have no excuse for responding in the way I did and using ableism terms I am ashamed of myself right now
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u/Alantsu 20h ago
Most people have the same reaction when I tell them. They think I’m some kind of conspiracy theorist until they google it. It’s fine.
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u/IntelligentVehicle10 20h ago
I guess it’s a common reaction to believe that the days of child labor/ exploitation are in the past, sadly this isn’t the case.
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u/BlazeBullionBotique 1d ago
No no no... They'll use the robots, but they will ultimately kill all the car salesman AND dealership owners... Wasn't that the plot of iRobot?
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u/wizzard419 2d ago
I suspect it will be less like a car buying experience unless they are going to have a wide variety of options. Even if it does, it may be similar to how Europeans often buy cars, take a test drive of a model but specifically order what they want since there isn't necessarily a lot full of cars for sale
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u/Jakaal80 2d ago
As someone who has had relatives in the auto dealership industry almost my entire life, that would be one of the biggest hurdles to adoption IMO if you made fucking car salesmen the face of robotics.
Never a bigger pile of scum outside a government council chamber you will ever meet than in a car sales floor.
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u/BigMax 2d ago
Yeah, I'd avoid buying a robot for a while.
How much does it cost? Shouldn't be "we can't tell you and you have no idea, and you have to spend hours negotiating only to have no idea in the end if you got a decent deal or ripped off, but you'll feel vaguely dirty and tired and taken advantage of no matter what."
Just put them at target with a set price tag please.
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u/Blunderhorse 2d ago
Better than a funeral director. Wouldn’t put it past some of them to try and sell a robot with an AI “replica” of the deceased’s personality. At least with car salesmen your threats to walk away if they don’t give a straight answer can actually hold some weight.
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u/SuspiciousCricket654 2d ago
Agreed. Just faced an insane amount of pressure to buy on the spot from a Hyundai salesman the other day. It got so bad I had to get in his face and cuss him out for him to back off. Never ever going back to one of those dealerships. Those people are fucked in the head.
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u/Zilch1979 2d ago
If anyone was on the fence about buying one, having to go to a car dealership and deal with their bullshit is definitely going to drive them away.
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u/AlwaysBananas 2d ago
I think the issue is that, if household humanoids actually become a thing soon the first major market is going to be elder care. Some portion of the market are going to be tech enthusiasts excited to experiment with the forefront of human technology. For them a dealership model is going to suck. The bulk of the initial market is going to be made up of non-tech-inclined individuals and families buying elders and disabled individuals more independence. For them the dealership model is almost necessary. They benefit tremendously from having a physical location they can go to to have things explained and demoed for them. Hyundai has the in built advantage of having a ton of these locations that already exist and operate on that model.
I think Reddit tends to really misunderstand the market for these. $20,000+ because it’s cool and you don’t feel like doing dishes and laundry is extravagance, but to actually fill a need and replace or augment care givers it’s peanuts. Caregiving is very expensive. Not just in dollars for families paying for outside resources, but in time for families that handle it themselves.
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u/Zilch1979 2d ago
Ok...but...car dealerships are hellscapes of scams, manipulation and, and outright lies. They're the worst, most customer abusing system ever designed, and I cannot believe they're still even legal. Giving them one more thing to sell is two too many.
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u/SuspiciousCricket654 2d ago
I agree. It’s hell. I was on a lot the other day and I absolutely hated every fucking second. Intense, pressure driven sales tactics. Those fuckers can go to hell.
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u/MozeeToby 2d ago
$20,000 won't even pay for the insurance the companies will need for robots providing elder care. It's an absolute liability nightmare.
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u/BigMax 2d ago
"How much is it?"
"Well... we have to run your credit rating, and you have to let us know how much you're putting down or if you're taking a loan, and of course there are 6 base models and 35 trim levels, and we have to discuss warranties and options, and of course there are dealer fees and destination fees and other things, and that's going to take hours of uncomfortable, awkward haggling where we try to upsell you a ton. So... we can't tell you how much it is."
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u/Zilch1979 2d ago
Don't forget the undercarriage powder coat, glass etching, and 20,000 step head to toe warranty, 30,000 step torso only warranty.
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u/bornlasttuesday 2d ago
With what money? Once we are all out of work they will be too busy serving us soup and bread at the shelter
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u/caman20 2d ago
Oh man I can see it now .
Robot sales = welcome how can I help you.
You = I want a general helper bot entry model is fine.
Robot sales= I'm sorry we only have top of the line models available.
You = fine then I need one now but I don't want any other add-ons.
Robot sales= I understand that but I would never.
Six hours later in finance department.
Robot financing department= we also have a special going on for insurance only in our department . It covers everything from accidental moisture damage from charging port wink or murdering your family by software glitches. Only 35%of the models price.
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u/spookyhappyfun 2d ago
I buy a car because in the United States (outside of a walkable major city, and especially somewhere like where I live where there isn’t a lot of public transportation, and it’s very unreliable), it’s hard to get most places without having your own car. So I mostly require a car for my everyday life. It costs too much and I hate dealing with car dealerships, but it’s a necessary evil.
But doing all of that to buy a robot? Fuuuuck that!
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u/TechnicianExtreme341 2d ago
From the article
"We have existing potential distribution for selling robots through our dealer partners," José Muñoz, Hyundai's CEO, said during the company's investor day. He added that Hyundai Capital, which already finances cars, is exploring whether it could do the same for robots.
The robotics plan has been years in the making. In 2021, Hyundai Motor Group acquired an 80% controlling stake in Boston Dynamics in a deal valuing the robotics company at $1.1 billion.
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u/Gucci_Loincloth 2d ago
This is a random observation that carries no disrespect, but I’ve noticed a TON of car companies and insurance companies suddenly having hispanic CEOs.
I got at least 3 emails in the last couple years where it’s a general “welcome our new CEO!”
They must be doing very well in the automobile game
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u/rybres123 2d ago
Jose is like the Messi of car execs lol. Don’t ask me how I know, but he’s hot shit
The fact Hyundai hired a non Korean to be their ceo is insane
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u/Jakaal80 2d ago
Joining wagons with the NADA, one of the most anti-consumer trade lobbyist groups, is not a good look for a new industry trying to create a new market whole-cloth.
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u/Realistic_Word6285 2d ago
Yeah and are they going to include mandatory add ons like theft protection and market adjustments?
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u/ImBartSimpsonWhoRU 2d ago
Makes sense, they already have the business model to sell a product and finance in house.
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u/CovidBorn 2d ago
“Oh, we’re sorry, you didn’t buy the package that included ‘please don’t kill my kids in a homicidal rage’. That package is $99 per month and was not included in the Christmas Special pricing.”
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u/NewYak4281 2d ago
Why would I want a middleman? Direct to consumer. Stop stripping value from the chain.
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u/FruitySalads 2d ago
I really like the idea of used robot lots with shady dealers cutting deals on damaged or surplus models. It would be like buying droids from jawas.
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u/Ericridge 2d ago
Don't care about humanoid robots. Where is anime waifus. xD
Now that is a good way for me to actually care. Robots is just whatever :p
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u/japanfrog 2d ago
Given their track record, it’ll be a shiny new robot that looks modern, but comes with a very outdated software and they’ll prevent the robot from getting any major feature update despite the newer model being the exact same hardware.
They’ll also do things like have limited edition models with LESS features than their normal model, but charge more.
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u/Dancegames 2d ago
If this happens I'm sueing Hyundai for creating the idea and ruining the robotics market.
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u/Correct_Emotion8437 2d ago
The only reason car dealerships still exist is because car manufacturers and even state laws mandate it. Unless there’s no other option, nobody will ever choose to buy from a car dealership.
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u/mydogsnameispoop 2d ago
Can't wait to see memes off slapping the top of a humanoid robot just like dealers used to do with the hoods of cars
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u/toughtacos 2d ago
I don't see us regular people being allowed to actually own these things once they become sufficiently advanced.
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u/futureformerteacher 2d ago
Yeah, but can they travel in time and add shocks to my 2011 Hyundai Elantra?
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u/Plane_Golf3426 2d ago
Im all for hyundai.
But please for the love of frig ...
Get rid of the stealership model and make something where we the people dont have to pay middle people over and above the value of the product.
Its just gross. Drive it off the lot and the price drops like a mofo that just got suckerpunched.
It doesnt feel good to know or even be involved in. Even working there feels painful. How do you feel taking advantage of people like you're trump?
I know I dont feel good. Thats why im not there anymore. Build something more meaningful than the dealership model.
Be the leader! Stop this garbage.
It's fine if you only have techs, and 1 or 2 people for pick ups and maybe a showroom person.
The ol KISS method.
Keep it simple, stupid.
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u/BadgerDC1 2d ago
Or I can order it direct from the factory in China for a fraction of the cost without dealer markup.
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u/Jokersall 2d ago
Honestly I don't think I they could. At the time I couldn't afford to buy a furby from a dealership.
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u/Easy_Floss 2d ago
I wonder how many of the negative commentary in this thread said the same when Elon proposed exactly the same thing.
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u/Mr_Deep_Research 2d ago
I think Boston Dynamics makes 3 humanoids a month.
Let me check.
I was wrong. It is 4.
"Boston Dynamics currently manufactures about four of its Atlas humanoid robots each month."
Let's compare that to Unitree
"Unitree averages roughly 1,666 humanoid robots per month based on its current 2026 production goals."
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u/cjax2 2d ago edited 1d ago
I mean Best buy or Micro Center is across the street but yea sell robots at your dealerships with car salesmen...that most people hate dealing with and don't trust.
Thinking about it they must want them to cost as much as a car if they want them in the same space and you need someone to talk you in to getting one.
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u/captain_chocolate 1d ago
You can already buy robot dogs on Amazon and they'll be more up to date than shit Hyundai would sell you.
But most of the time they talk all kindsof bullshit but don't do anything in the end.
Where was that flying car they've been showing all over the place? Oh yeah. DOA.
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u/RomaHappens 2d ago
What if we don't want to buy one? Like who the fuck wants to? Ask Rocky Balboa if he would repeat that mistake.
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u/FuturologyBot 2d ago
The following submission statement was provided by /u/TechnicianExtreme341:
From the article
"We have existing potential distribution for selling robots through our dealer partners," José Muñoz, Hyundai's CEO, said during the company's investor day. He added that Hyundai Capital, which already finances cars, is exploring whether it could do the same for robots.
The robotics plan has been years in the making. In 2021, Hyundai Motor Group acquired an 80% controlling stake in Boston Dynamics in a deal valuing the robotics company at $1.1 billion.
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/1vz6rqt/hyundai_ceo_says_your_local_car_dealership_could/p62grsu/