“Once upon a time Hyundai was a car company,” - declares the new ad campaign of the South Korean chaebol.The campaign seeks to address the events that are bringing structural changes to the automobile industry, like shared, connected and electric mobility that is threatening the conventional car-buying behaviour.Hyundai won the hearts of the Indian car buyer by making the value-for-money hatchback Santro in the late 1990s to premium sedans and SUVs of today, as it progressed in tandem with growing consumer aspirations. The changing consumer needs and technological developments are making the company think differently, including in India which as both a market and manufacturing hub is key to its global ambitions.“Hyundai will proactively respond to market changes and persistently innovate to deliver greater value to our customers,” Hyundai Motor Group executive vice-chairman Euisun Chung said during a recent visit to India. The company sees the new wave of disruption an opportunity to penetrate deeper into the Indian market, where it is the No. 2 carmaker but has never held a share beyond 20%.In the past 18 months, the Hyundai Motor Group has invested $300 million (`2,150 crore) in Indian cab-hailing platform Ola to participate more actively in the shared mobility space. It also invested in Revv, the self-drive rental startup. Hyundai has also come out with a subscription model in India for those who don’t want to make a down payment to own a car. If an individual wants to lease a Hyundai car, he could do so through its tie-up with a leasing expert, ALD Automotive.How big a bet is India for the group is evident from its decision to appoint SS Kim as the managing director of the local unit. The new head of Hyundai Motor India was previously leading the business strategy division at the HQ and was involved in plotting the vision of the group, precisely in the areas of shared, connected and electric mobility.The company wants to approach the customer as a lifetime partner and sees itself as a complete mobility service provider, Kim told ET. “…we want to focus on their lifestyle that will cover all aspects of mobility,” he said. “The young generation is totally different from the previous generation of customers. We need to find something new and very surprising aspect from these customer pools which resonates with their personality and lifestyle.”Hyundai has formed working groups for shared mobility, electric vehicles and connected vehicles. A massive data centre is being set up in Chennai to gather feedback from some of these tieups and develop new business models. Hyundai’s affiliate, Kia Motor, is also working on strategies to be ready to the structural changes, even as its global chief executive, HW Park, calls the opportunity a big “unknown” but something that it didn’t want to lose out on.For Hyundai smart mobility solution is based on three pillars, ‘Clean Mobility’, ‘Freedom in Mobility’ and ‘Connected Mobility’. And, the company wants to make these accessible to the larger carbuying population.Under the first pillar of ‘Clean Mobility’, electric vehicles form one of the most important components. Hyundai has plans of launching as many as 38 cleaner models, including hybrid-electric, electric and fuel-cell vehicles.In India, it has launched the Kona EV. Also, work is ongoing on a mass-market EV, or Smart EV, project.Under ‘Freedom in Mobility’, it is striving to create an environment where everyone has unlimited access to safe and convenient transportation. Under ‘Connected Mobility’, Hyundai is developing a ‘ Connected Car Program’ to link an individual’s car with that of another, their office and even the wider urban environment, resulting in greater safety and convenience.The first proof point of the connected car can be seen in its compact SUV Venue, where the Blue link connectivity features have been incorporated in a mainstream product.“It is a very unusual time for the global automotive industry. The likes of Tesla, Google and Apple are defining new ways in which a car can be consumed,” said VG Ramakrishnan, the managing director at consultancy firm Avanteum Advisor. Hyundai at the global level is seeking to diversify its risks from these disruptions and in India, the vehicles emerging from this will give it an edge, he added.A senior executive at the company said old concepts would continue to thrive in the hinterlands and small cities, but the new ones of sharing, leasing, the subscription would rise in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi . “These new-age businesses currently contribute less than 5% to the company’s overal l business. I foresee this increasing two-three-fold at least in the coming three to four years,” said the executive.Hyundai’s participation in the shared mobility space with the ‘Prime’ range of cars has already opened up a new avenue of growth. The investment in Ola will help offer tailored solutions for shared mobility providers including on a services and connectivity standpoint. For instance, some of its service centres now operate 24*7, to ensure low downtime for shared mobility customers. In its advertisement, Hyundai poses a question — “What does it take to make a car company realise that it needs to make more than just cars?” The company itself answers the question — it’s “You” – the customer.“We are becoming a smart mobility solutions provider and not just a car company. And all this is happening today … not tomorrow,” the commercial states, as it concludes with hope that it does not miss out on the big change that the automotive industry is in the midst of.And, it is flying with the wind and not against it.