Hyundai Motor said it plans to begin trials of an autonomous taxi fleet in Russia later this year, according to local reports in South Korea.

The automaker is working with Russian internet search engine company Yandex which has been testing autonomous vehicles on public roads in Russia since 2017.

Following an initial agreement signed in March, the two companies have developed a driverless riding platform for Hyundai's Sonata midsize passenger car.

The two companies plan to begin road testing 100 taxis in Moscow this year with Level 4 autonomous driving technology. Drivers will be behind the wheel to intervene only if needed.

Hyundai Motor Group has stepped up collaboration with overseas technology companies and start-ups in the last year.

At a meeting with Israeli president Reuven Rivlin at Hyundai's R&D centre in Hwaseong, South Korea, the carmaker's executive vice-chairman Chung Eui-sun said his company planned to increase investments and expand cooperation with Israeli startups as it seeks to develop future mobility technologies for mass production vehicles.

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Hyundai has already invested in Israel's Alegro.AI and MDGo in the area of artificial intelligence in the last year.

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