LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics have been long-time rivals when it comes to manufacturing appliances, smartphones and other devices, and now it looks like the two will once again butt heads in the self-driving car market. Apparently, LG has just been granted permission to test its autonomous cars on public roads, suggesting that it will soon be ready to compete against what Samsung has been developing.

This Wednesday, LG exclusively disclosed to English language South Korean news site Korea Herald that it received permission to use its self-driving cars on public roads in its home country early this month. “We received the approval to test self-driving from the government on July 7 after applying for permission in May,” an LG official said.

LG’s venture into the self-driving car market is seen as a move that would help it grow despite the slowing sales of its smartphones. LG is not alone in this however; the company is partnering with Hyundai Motor to deliver autonomous technology to consumers. What LG plans to do here is to provide sensors and a self-driving system to Hyundai’s Genesis luxury vehicle.

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This won’t be the first time that LG is venturing into the auto business. Since July 2013, the G6 maker has been producing car components like drive motors, battery packs and inverters. It has even produced and supplied 11 key components to the GM Bolt EV since the fourth quarter of 2016.

Meanwhile, Samsung has already been granted permission to publicly test its self-driving cars in South Korea this year. Last May, the Galaxy S8 maker was approved by the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to drive its autonomous cars on public roads, as per The Verge.

Like LG, Samsung has also tapped Hyundai for its venture into the self-driving car market. Instead of using the latter’s luxury vehicle though, Samsung is providing sensors and cameras to “commercialized” Hyundai vehicles. When asked for more details about the project, a Samsung spokesperson did not respond.

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However, previous reports have indicated that Samsung acknowledged in 2015 that it was forming a team to focus on developing self-driving car technologies. The team wasn’t created to come up with self-driving vehicles, but it would instead produce components that implement autonomous driving. Hence, it’s not surprising that Samsung purchased in-car entertainment systems maker Harman last March.

Apart from LG and Samsung, many other companies and organizations have been granted permission to publicly test autonomous driving vehicles in South Korea this year. Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors, Mando, SK Telecom, Seoul National University, Hanyang University, KAIST, Naver and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority have all been approved to use their self-driving inventions on public roads.

In the U.S., Samsung’s biggest rival, Apple, has also been working on its own self-driving car technology. Just last month, it was revealed that Apple partnered with car rental company Hertz to realize its autonomous driving ambitions. Fortune has learned that in relation to this deal, Hertz subsidiary Donlen leased six Lexus RX 450h cars to Apple for public testing.



Photo: Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji



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