The 2027 Tucson Will Answer to ‘Hey Hyundai’

The 2027 Hyundai Tucson will be the first Hyundai sold in the United States with Pleos Connect, an Android Automotive-based infotainment system with a 17-inch screen and an app store. Its voice assistant wakes to "Hey Gleo" or "Hey Hyundai."

The system replaces Hyundai’s current infotainment with one built by 42dot, Hyundai Motor Group’s software arm, and it keeps wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto alongside its own native apps. Hyundai says physical buttons remain for key functions, and the full details on availability, connectivity packages and trim-by-trim features will come closer to the Tucson’s launch.

Hyundai Motor America laid out the system in an October 1 release timed to the Tucson’s New York premiere. "Rather than viewing the vehicle as a product that is complete at delivery, we see it as a platform that can adapt, improve and become more personalized over time," said Eric Wood, 42dot’s senior vice president of product experience.

The hardware is a 17-inch or 12.9-inch center display, both QHD at 2560 by 1440 pixels in a 16:9 shape, plus a 9.9-inch slim information display above the steering wheel that is standard on every Tucson. The center screen splits a Driving View, with vehicle data and quick controls, from an App View for navigation and media, and it can run in portrait mode with two apps stacked. Connectivity is Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 6, and the whole system takes over-the-air updates.

Gleo AI is the part that will get the attention. It runs on large language model technology, so it is meant to take plain requests, remember the thread of a conversation and handle several commands at once, covering navigation, compatible vehicle controls and general information. The navigation itself mixes downloaded HERE map data with an onboard database so it keeps working without a signal, and search runs through Google Places, which can show photos and opening hours for a destination.

The Pleos App Market is Hyundai’s own store. Apps run directly on the car rather than through a mirrored phone, which Hyundai says allows deeper integration, and streaming music and video services are among the first offerings. Those connected apps will need a data package, every app goes through a cybersecurity review before it is listed, and Hyundai is releasing development kits so outside companies can write for it. The global Tucson release adds that the interface supports three-finger gestures and a single-screen expanded mode.

The HyundaiHQ Take

Hyundai’s existing infotainment is quick and legible, and that is a higher bar than most owners realize until they live with a slow one, so the move to a new operating system carries real risk. Hyundai did keep CarPlay, kept the buttons and put the driver’s gauges on a separate screen rather than burying them in the big one, which is more than some rivals can say. Gleo will be judged on whether it understands "turn the heated seat up" on the first try. If it does, this is the most useful thing in the new Tucson. If it does not, owners will go straight back to CarPlay and the 17 inches will be a very expensive phone mirror.