Manfred Harrer, Executive Vice President and Head of Genesis & Performance Development Tech Unit (Courtesy of Hyundai Motor)
Hyundai Motor Group is upping the ante to win the luxury and high-performance car market and speed up electrification with a new high-profile automotive expert from a foreign supercar auto brand, Porsche AG.
The South Korean auto giant announced on Tuesday that it appointed former Porsche engineer Manfred Harrer as executive vice president and head of the newly established Genesis & Performance Development Tech unit under the Research & Development (R&D) Division of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp.
Harrer worked on diverse projects in the automotive and tech industries, including chassis development, electronic systems, software development, full vehicle integration and ADAS, for the past 25 years.
His former employers include Audi AG, BMW Group and Porsche AG. Especially at Porsche from 2007 to 2021, he led the development of Cayenne and the carmaker’s first all-electric car Taycan.
Just before joining the Korean carmaker, Harrer was hired by Apple Inc. as senior director of Product Design Engineering for Project Titan, now the iPhone maker’s doomed car project.
Hyundai pins high hopes on Harrer for another big leap in its R&D competitiveness, especially with its luxury and high-performance cars focusing on Genesis and Hyundai N brands. He is expected to lead the development of Genesis high-performance trim Magma.
The Genesis Magma lineup (Courtesy of Genesis Motor North America)
“As a world-renowned performance vehicle expert, Manfred will contribute significantly to the development of future Genesis luxury high-performance models, as well as our transition to electrification for Hyundai Motor and Kia brands,” said Yang Heui-won, president of Hyundai-Kia R&D Division.
FOREIGN DESIGNERS AND ENGINEERS ON BOARD TO BRING INNOVATION
Hyundai Motor Group, well-known for its bang-for-the-buck cars worldwide, started actively recruiting foreign talent in mid-2000 as part of efforts to improve its brand image and awareness with better design and performance.
The first high-profile automotive figure Hyundai Motor reached out was Peter Schreyer, who was a seasoned designer at Volkswagen Group back then. Schreyer joined the Korean auto group in 2006 and is credited for making big impact to Hyundai Motor Group’s car designs with a strong and characteristic design.
Later, former BMW’s M Division engineer Albert Biermann joined the Korean car company to lead the development of high-performance Hyundai N line.
Hyundai Motor Group also brought former Bentley and Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke on board, who is now the Korean automaker’s chief design officer and chief creative officer leading design creation for Hyundai Motor brands.
More foreign automotive experts have joined the Korean auto group, which has grown into the world’s third-largest car seller with Hyundai Motor, Kia and luxury marque Genesis brands.
Albert Biermann (second left), former Hyundai president and head of the R&D division, poses alongside other company executives in front of the Hyundai Kona N, a high-performance SUV (Courtesy of Hyundai Motor)
ON THE HUNT FOR TALENT FROM APPLE CAR FOR FUTURE CAR LEAD
Hyundai is now said to be seeking to recruit about 10 former Apple Car engineers who have left Apple after the US tech company pulled the plug on its self-driving car project.
Of 1,000 engineers and researchers working for Apple’s Project Titan, software developers have joined Apple’s artificial intelligence division and hardware engineers have joined other carmakers, like Harrer.
With former Apple Car engineers, the Korean auto giant hopes to expedite the development of high-performance and autonomous driving technologies to lead the future car market.
To achieve the goal, Hyundai Motor will ratchet up its efforts to bring more R&D talent from not only Apple but also other multinational companies, said an official from Hyundai Motor.
Inspired by Hyundai Motor’s innovative future mobility development plan, Harrer is said to have decided to join the Korean car company after rejecting offers from other global finished carmakers, according to sources.
“My commitment to Hyundai Motor Group is driven by a profound belief in their visionary approach to advanced mobility solutions,” Harrer said in a news release on Tuesday.
“With my extensive experience in the automotive and tech industry, I am dedicated to playing a pivotal role in the future evolution of Genesis and high-performance vehicles within the Group.”
By Jae-Fu Kim
hu@hankyung.com
Sookyung Seo edited this article.
