20.08.2021 Press release

Future of mobility in season one of Are We There Yet? podcast

  • Hyundai Motor has wrapped up the inaugural season of its first-ever podcast, Are We There Yet?
  • Season one covered topics such as the company’s vision, electrified racing, zero-emissions mobility, and sustainability
  • One of the podcast’s goals is to share the personal stories of the people behind Hyundai with a larger audience
  • Listen and subscribe to the podcast here

Press material

Hyundai Motor has completed the first season of Are We There Yet?, its first-ever podcast.

In each episode, motorsport and technology presenter Suzi Perry invites the bright minds behind the brand to share their stories and the revolutionary ideas from the workshops, labs, and secret test tracks at Hyundai.


The idea behind the podcast is to put the people behind the Hyundai brand in the spotlight. The season has covered topics such as Hyundai’s vision, the future of mobility solutions, sustainability, hydrogen fuel cell technology, the electrification of mobility and motorsport, and Hyundai’s corporate venturing and open innovation business CRADLE, among others.

With 'Are We There Yet?', we wanted to give our audience an inside look at the people owning and working in the different areas at Hyundai. In addition to offering a platform to deliver Hyundai’s overall key messages, our corporate podcast gives the minds behind Hyundai and their personal stories a stage to reach a wider audience. Although working remotely and coordinating across time zones posed challenges, the rising interest in consuming audio media allowed us to use the podcast platform as a personal way of communication. This shift to digital formats underlines Hyundai’s commitment to progress as a brand.

Andreas-Christoph Hofmann Vice President Marketing and Product at Hyundai Motor Europe

Episode 1: How we dream electric: inside the head of Hyundai


Are We There Yet? kicks off with “How we dream electric: inside the head of Hyundai”. In this episode, Hyundai Motor Europe President and CEO, Michael Cole, outlines his vision and strategy for Hyundai: transforming from an automobile to a smart mobility solutions provider.

That’s one of the things that I find most fascinating about our business right now that we’re going through such a transformation. And the move towards electrification is a great opportunity. Taking leadership and really making this contribute towards more environmental mobility is a key driver for us. Our goal is to be seen as the leader in electrification in the global market.

Michael Cole Hyundai Motor Europe President and CEO

Episode 2: How we make racing electric


The next episode, “How we make racing electric”, touches on how Hyundai is bringing electrification to touring cars. Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Andrea Adamo, and racing driver Augusto Farfus, who have been testing the VELOSTER N ETCR, talk about how high-performance EVs will not only make motorsport more sustainable but influence roadgoing cars as well.

Episode 5: On the road to a hydrogen ecosystem


At the midway point of the season, Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Secretary General at Hydrogen Europe, and Mark Freymüller, CEO of Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, appear on the podcast. The two explain the innovative use of hydrogen technology in automobiles vehicles, fuel cell and battery electric vehicles as complementing technologies, and the role hydrogen will play in the future of mobility.

Episode 8: How we are cleaning the oceans for a more sustainable future


In the eighth episode, Florian Büngener, Head of PR & Communications at Hyundai Motor Europe, brings up Hyundai Motor’s partnership with Healthy Seas. Veronika Mikos, Director of Healthy Seas, draws awareness to the abandoned fishing nets harming marine life. Together with Aquafil, these nets and other discarded nylon are being recycled into ECONYL®, a high-quality raw material. Büngener emphasises the importance of using more sustainable materials, especially those generated from waste in a circular economy.

Episode 9: How we’re making urban air mobility a reality


By episode nine, “How we’re making urban air mobility a reality”, Pamela Cohn, Global Chief Operating Officer for the Urban Air Mobility Division at Hyundai Motor Group, shines a light on how Hyundai’s vision for future mobility can be achieved. Cohn points out how a UAM infrastructure will incorporate flying vehicles to reduce inner-city congestion and offer urbanites a sustainable, clean, and quiet mode of transportation.

Episode 10: How we’re making mobility cleaner


In the tenth episode, Bertrand Piccard, the Swiss explorer, environmentalist, and Hyundai brand ambassador, highlights the ways Hyundai is following its vision to becoming a smart mobility solutions provider. Piccard’s vision is to shape a more sustainable world, and after seeing Hyundai’s contributions to clean mobility, he knew the heads behind the company shared his pioneering spirit.


Piccard also mentioned that he is the co-founder of the Solar Impulse Foundation. The organisation has identified more than 1,000 business solutions that conserve the environment, create jobs, and generate profit.

Episode 11: How IONIQ 5 marks a new era for Hyundai


The first season finale takes on a new format. “How IONIQ 5 marks a new era for Hyundai” was filmed live at the IONIQ 5 Driving Experience in Valencia, Spain. In it, various speakers at the event – Hyundai Motor Europe Product and Pricing Director Raf Van Nuffel, as well as Hyundai Motor Europe Design Center’s Chief Designer Thomas Bürkle and Senior Designer Yasin Savci – talk about how IONIQ 5 embodies Hyundai’s vision: a BEV with electrified features, sustainable materials, and futuristic design.

Recording Are We There Yet? with Hyundai and Fresh Air Production was such a rewarding experience. Throughout the first season, I learned so much about not only Hyundai as a brand but also the exciting ways the future of mobility is unfolding. If you’re interested in automotive news, mobility, or future tech, I recommend that you listen to season one now. So many innovative topics are being pulled into the mix like Urban Air Mobility and automotive design in 'How our cars make us fall in love'. And as a huge fan of motorsport, my personal favourite was episode six, where I learned how Hyundai’s racing cars inspire its road cars.

Suzi Perry Host of Hyundai Motor’s podcast 'Are We There Yet?'

Subscribe to Hyundai’s podcast, Are We There Yet?, and listen to season one now to hear about the brilliant ideas from the minds of Hyundai.


The first season of Are We There Yet? is now live and available to listeners on Spotify, Apple, Google, Podcasts, Stitcher, Acast and other podcast streaming platforms. It is produced by Fresh Air Production.

Disclaimer: CO2 and emissions data


  • Electricity consumption combined for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 58 kWh with 2WD in kWh/100 km: 16.7; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 0 (WLTP)
  • Electricity consumption combined for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 58 kWh with 4WD in kWh/100 km: 18.1; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 0 (WLTP)
  • Electricity consumption combined for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 72.6 kWh (19” alloy rims) with 2WD in kWh/100 km: 16.8; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 0 (WLTP)
  • Electricity consumption combined for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 72.6 kWh (20” alloy rims) with 2WD in kWh/100 km: 17.9; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 0 (WLTP)
  • Electricity consumption combined for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 72.6 kWh (19” alloy rims) with 4WD in kWh/100 km: 17.7; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 0 (WLTP)
  • Electricity consumption combined for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 72.6 kWh (20” alloy rims) with 4WD in kWh/100 km: 19.0; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 0 (WLTP)

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