Hyundai nears full Boston Dynamics ownership: SoftBank exits

Reports say Hyundai Motor Group is set to buy SoftBank Group’s remaining stake in Boston Dynamics, which would give Hyundai full ownership of the U.S. robotics company behind Spot and Atlas and close out the last piece of its June 2021 deal. This would complete Hyundai Motor Group’s June 2021 purchase of 80% of Boston Dynamics for about $1.1 billion, though the terms of this latest sale still haven’t been disclosed.

What changes most here is speed. With full control, Hyundai Motor Group can pull Boston Dynamics more tightly into its smart-mobility plans, make decisions faster, line up robot roadmaps with manufacturing needs, and push commercialization past the stage of flashy demos.

Reports also say SoftBank Group exercised a put option from the 2020 agreement, requiring Hyundai Motor Group to buy the remaining roughly 9.65% stake for an estimated $325 million to $335 million.

Atlas sits at the center of this. Hyundai Motor Group is planning a new all-electric, production-ready humanoid for its Georgia EV plant in 2028 to handle parts sequencing, then move into more advanced assembly work by 2030, while the company aims for capacity of up to 30,000 humanoid robots a year.

If you follow industrial robotics, this is one to watch, because Hyundai Motor Group can test these machines in its own factories first, even with real questions still hanging over reliability, safety, cost, factory fit, and union concerns about worker displacement.

For now, though, you’re still waiting on official confirmation from Hyundai Motor Group and SoftBank Group.