Now, the inconvenience of waiting a long time to settle parking fees after shopping has been alleviated.
Hyundai Motor Company and Kia announced on the 12th (Tuesday) that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to introduce the in-vehicle payment service ‘Café Pay’ for parking fees, with the presence of key figures including Kwon Hae-young, head of Hyundai and Kia’s Infotainment Development Center, and Min Wang-il, head of Hyundai Department Store’s Management Support Division, at the Hyundai Department Store headquarters located in Gangnam, Seoul.
Café Pay is Hyundai and Kia’s in-vehicle payment service that allows convenient payments through the vehicle’s infotainment screen without the need for a physical card.
With this agreement, customers with vehicles equipped with Hyundai and Kia’s Café Pay feature will be able to conveniently settle their parking fees at Hyundai Department Store parking lots without the need to use kiosks for pre-settlement. Upon starting the vehicle, a payment notification will automatically appear on the infotainment screen, allowing the user to check and pay the parking fee instantly.
Hyundai and Kia plan to gradually expand the Café Pay service to 10 locations nationwide, starting with the Hyundai Department Store’s Pangyo branch, which began trial operations on October 31, and extending to the Apgujeong main branch, Trade Center branch, and other locations in the first half of next year.
Any customer utilizing connected car services such as Hyundai Blue Link and Kia Connect can use Café Pay. Details on supported vehicles and usage methods can be found on the websites of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
As the first global automaker to independently develop an in-vehicle payment system, Hyundai and Kia first introduced this feature in the Genesis GV80 in 2020, and it has since been included as standard equipment in newly launched vehicles.
This initiative is part of Hyundai and Kia’s strategy to standardize connected car services, which are considered core elements in transforming cars from mere transportation means into smart devices, alongside recent developments in remote diagnostics and wireless (OTA, Over-the-Air) software updates.
Café Pay is currently available at about 4,000 affiliated stores nationwide, including gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations. Furthermore, Hyundai and Kia successfully launched in-vehicle payment services in the United States in September and are continuously expanding Café Pay’s presence, starting with about 5,000 parking lots and soon to include gas stations and EV charging stations.
A Hyundai and Kia spokesperson stated, “The goal of introducing Café Pay is not only to enhance the convenience of parking payments but also to provide customers with new vehicle usage experiences and enjoyment. We will continue to expand the Café Pay service network while developing technologies and services that satisfy our customers.”
Meanwhile, as Hyundai and Kia surpassed 10 million global connected car service subscribers in June, they are accelerating their SDV (Software Defined Vehicle) strategy by continuously developing mobility software and devices to maximize customer convenience.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr