ATLANTA — Hyundai Motor Co. announced prototypes of a zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell-powered Class 8 on-highway tractor and a refrigerated trailer with cryogenic cooling technology intended, potentially, for the U.S. market.

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor Group will start mass production of self-driving cars within the next five years, said Chung Euisun, the heir to the auto giant, as he made a hefty investment in a joint venture the company established with Aptiv on Sept. 23.

Hyundai Motor Group will spend $1.6 billion to develop autonomous vehicles with Aptiv Plc, marking one of the biggest investments yet by a traditional carmaker into the burgeoning robocar industry.

Hyundai Motor Co. expects to enter the U.S. pickup market soon with what likely is to be an American-made vehicle aimed at luring buyers who aren’t traditional truck owners, an executive said July 8.

Hyundai Motor Co. joined automakers pledging massive spending in the years ahead to address the industry’s transformation and fend off new competition from the likes of Tesla Inc.

As China’s car industry loses its shine, automakers are starting to buckle up for the downward slope with Hyundai Motor Co. announcing it is letting workers go and is reviewing production plans in the world’s biggest market.

Hyundai Motor Group and its suppliers plan to spend $6.7 billion (7.6 trillion won) through 2030 to raise production of fuel cells more than 200-fold as the South Korean automaker targets becoming a key player in new-energy vehicle technology.

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake’s ADB22X-LT air disc brake now is offered by trailer maker Hyundai Translead.

Chris Spear, senior vice president at American Trucking Associations, will leave the federation in October for a position at the Hyundai Motor Co., ATA announced Sept. 10.