Hyundai Mobis, an auto parts manufacturer under Hyundai Motor Group, said Monday that it had applied for 2,500 patents in and out of South Korea last year, with almost half of them related to its core business area of future mobility.

According to Hyundai Mobis, about 1,200 patent applications were in future mobility sectors such as automation, autonomous driving and in-vehicle infotainment systems.

“Hyundai Mobis' patent reinforcement activities are aimed at securing a competitive advantage through the preoccupation of future mobility technologies,” the company said.

“To this end, Hyundai Mobis has organized a team to focus on developing patentable new technology, and we are cooperating in various aspects throughout every process ranging from selecting patent tasks to developing, designing and deriving specific technology.”

Hyundai Mobis has encouraged its employees to invent patentable innovations by giving rewards. The company held the in-house patent awards on Thursday and handed out a total of 100 million won ($75,000) in prizes to individuals and teams.

The auto parts manufacturer has also strengthened support for the patent-earning activities of employees stationed at its overseas laboratories in regions such as North America, Europe and India by offering them the latest trends in patent journals and periodically holding seminars on future technology.

As applying for a patent is not the end but rather the beginning, the company has continuously seen its patent applications getting approved. According to Hyundai Mobis, its accumulated number of registrations including patents, designs and trademarks reached 9,200 in 2023, up 1,700 from 2022.