(Yonhap/KPL)  Hyundai Mobis Co., Republic of Korea's leading auto parts maker, said Monday it has opened an integrated research and development (R&D) center in India as a global strategic hub dedicated to automotive software.

Hyundai Mobis has combined two existing R&D centers in India into one large-scale R&D base to participate in more R&D projects led by its parent Hyundai Motor Group and to supply mobility solutions for vehicles developed by the group and global carmakers, the company said in a press release.

"Based on our nearly 20 years of experience in developing mobility solutions for production vehicles, we will promote the advancement of software and contribute to improving product competitiveness," Lee Jong-keun, head of Hyundai Mobis Technical Center of India, said in the release.

Located in the center of Hyderabad, the new integrated R&D center is aimed at meeting a rising demand for automotive software solutions in the world's most populous country, it said.

India's automobile market is expected to grow to 6.2 million vehicles by 2028 from the current 5.2 million units per year, the third largest in the world, according to a global research firm.

Hyundai Mobis has focused on developing a hardware and software integrated platform for next-generation vehicles, such as software defined vehicles (SDVs).

It currently operates five global R&D hubs, including one each in Republic of Korea, China, Europe and the United States.

KPL