Hyundai is making a driver-facing instrument display a paid extra in two new models in its home market, a notable change in how a core piece of vehicle hardware is packaged.
The new-generation Avante—the Korean-market counterpart to the Elantra—and the new Ioniq 3 use Hyundai’s Pleos Connect infotainment system. The setup combines a central touchscreen with a slim 9.9-inch display positioned above the dashboard for driver information. But that second screen is not standard across the range.
For the base Avante in South Korea, Hyundai lists the instrument-cluster display as a 350,000 won option, or roughly $255. On the base Ioniq 3, buyers cannot add it as a standalone option: they must move to a higher trim, reported to cost about $5,000 more.
A new packaging decision, not just a new screen
The significance is less the $255 Avante option than the product-design logic behind it. Instrument clusters have historically been treated as baseline vehicle equipment, putting speed, warnings and other essential driving data directly in front of the driver. Hyundai’s configuration separates that conventional driver display from the vehicle’s core screen-based interface.
Customers without the additional display are not left without driving information. According to Hyundai’s configurator, functions including vehicle speed and warning messages are shown on the central screen. In practice, that makes the center display the primary interface for essential information in the lowest-cost configurations.
That approach resembles the minimal-dashboard model popularized by Tesla, but Hyundai is applying it as a trim and option decision within a broader lineup. The same Pleos Connect arrangement debuted in Hyundai’s more upscale Grandeur sedan, where the driver display is included on every trim.
Why operators should pay attention
For automakers, modular digital interiors can create a more flexible product ladder. A shared electronics and software platform can support different screen configurations, helping manufacturers distinguish entry-level and premium trims without redesigning the full dashboard architecture for each model.
The trade-off is customer perception. Removing or gating equipment that buyers regard as fundamental can make an entry price look less representative of the final product. It can also complicate comparisons between trims: the upgrade is not merely a larger infotainment display or a convenience feature, but a different placement of key driving information.
For product leaders outside automotive, the case is a reminder that digitalization makes more components configurable—but not every configurable component is perceived as optional. The closer a feature sits to safety, usability or an established customer expectation, the higher the risk that monetization will be viewed as subtraction rather than choice.
What to watch in North America
No Hyundai, Kia or Genesis vehicles currently sold in the United States use Pleos Connect, according to the report. That means U.S. buyers do not yet face this particular screen-versus-price decision.
Hyundai, however, plans to equip 20 million vehicles globally with Pleos Connect by the end of the decade. As the platform reaches more models and regions, the important questions will be whether the driver display remains optional, which functions stay accessible on the central screen, and how regulators and consumers respond to the changing dashboard layout.
For now, the Avante and Ioniq 3 offer an early signal: as vehicle cabins become more software-defined, even once-standard hardware can become part of the pricing menu.
