Hyundai to Scan Fingerprints for Vehicle Access, but U.S. Thumbs-Up Still TBD

Korean automaker Hyundai will employ fingerprint-scanning technology to enable drivers to access certain vehicles, but it’s unclear whether the feature gets a thumbs-up for the U.S. market.

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Hyundai announced Monday its so-called smart fingerprint technology, which employs a fingerprint scanner on the door handle and dashboard start button. Match the fingerprint data for a stored driver profile and the system can trigger memory settings to adjust seats, mirrors and multimedia features to his or her presets.

Still, thieves can forge fingerprints. Hyundai claims its technology can detect differentials in electricity at certain points in your fingertip to mitigate forgery, and the chances of mistaken identity are just 1 in 50,000. That rate is reportedly similar to the security for smartphone fingerprint readers, but Hyundai claims it’s five times better than conventional keys or keyless access systems. The system also learns your fingerprint better through technology that updates itself, Hyundai says.

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The automaker plans to apply the fingerprint scanner in certain markets beginning with the 2019 Santa Fe SUV. Whether Hyundai offers it on U.S. models, Santa Fe or otherwise, remains to be seen. Asked of such possibility, spokesman Miles Johnson told Cars.com that the automaker’s U.S. arm is “currently exploring applications of this technology.” He declined to say whether the U.S.-spec Santa Fe would get the feature at some point.

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