Korean automakers turn car rides into American cultural playgrounds with familiar co-drivers

Hyundai and Kia are turning dashboards into pop-culture personalities, with Peanuts fronting Hyundai’s cabin and Disney powering Kia’s. 

Over the years, dashboards have evolved from simple information panels to digitalised interfaces, and Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are embracing this shift further. Partnering with Peanuts and Disney respectively, they set out to make driving more immersive and less monotonous.

Hyundai’s latest collaboration brings Peanuts to the front seat, allowing drivers to customise their digital displays with iconic characters like Snoopy and Charlie Brown. 

Beyond just introducing a familiar companion on board, the themes also transport drivers into three distinctive worlds of Peanuts: the bold, playful imagination of Snoopy; the vintage comic strips of Charlie Brown’s world; and a nostalgic road trip down the whimsical Route 66 - all through the dashboard.  

Launched on 1 December 2025 in the US market, the Peanuts display themes debut in select models equipped with the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC), including the IONIQ 9 and latest Palisade, with plans to introduce new themes and expand their deployment regionally throughout 2026, with one of the countries confirmed to be South Korea.

Kia, which launched its onboard cultural collaboration a month before Hyundai in November, is casting a wider net to make driving more human-centric to drivers of all ages. Launched across the USA, Europe and South Korea, the in-Kia themes are drawn from the five franchises consisting of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic, and Star Wars.

Only available on certain Kia models equipped with the ccNC system, up to 30 more themes are expected to roll out by the end of 2026, with the first launch wave consisting of Marvel's Avengers, Disney's Mickey & Friends, and Pixar's Toy Story, through a dedicated Disney section in the Kia Connect store. 

While these characters may seem playful, the strategy behind them is strategic. As cars are turning into supercomputers on wheels, Hyundai and Kia are introducing personalisation to make ownership more fun. Whether you are cruising with Snoopy or tackling the morning traffic with The Avengers, you can now turn motoring routines into little adventures.