"SDV Development Optimization"... Hyundai Motor and Kia Undergo Major Overhaul of R&D Organization

Major Overhaul of R&D Organization to Respond to Rapidly Changing Industry
Kim Yonghwa Promoted to President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Expansion of Startup-like Agile and Flexible Decision-Making Systems Including TVD Headquarters, Vehicle SW Division, META Division, and Independent Development Teams

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia have undertaken a major reorganization of their Research and Development (R&D) headquarters. This restructuring aims to lead the future mobility market by optimizing the organizational structure for electrification transition and SDV (Software-Defined Vehicle) development. The Hyundai Motor and Kia R&D organizations have transformed from a centralized structure into a coalition-style organization where independent teams carry out projects both "separately and together."

On the 12th, Hyundai Motor and Kia announced that they would reorganize the R&D headquarters into an organization optimized for software and new technology development. While consolidating vehicle development functions and elevating them to a headquarters-level division, they also established a separate division for next-generation innovative technologies.

At a high level, the organizational structure consists of four divisions under the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) who oversees the R&D sector. Kim Yong-hwa, Vice President and Head of the R&D headquarters, who has been appointed as CTO, was promoted to President. Under the CTO, the organization was restructured into independent divisions including ▲TVD (Total Vehicle Development) Headquarters ▲Vehicle SW Division ▲META (Mobility Engineering & Tech Acceleration) Division ▲Independent development organizations (Battery, Robotics, Hydrogen Fuel Cell, Commercial Vehicles) and the Design Center.

First, the TVD Headquarters is an organization that comprehensively manages new vehicle development. Hyundai Motor and Kia elevated the new vehicle development organization to a headquarters level to strengthen the vehicle development function of the existing R&D headquarters. Yang Hee-won, Vice President in charge of Product Integrated Development, was appointed as the head of the TVD Headquarters.

Specifically, under the headquarters, there are divisions for Genesis Development, Vehicle Development 1 (multi-purpose and small vehicles), and Vehicle Development 2 (mid-to-large vehicles), enabling new vehicle development on a platform basis. This structure prevents interference between brands and vehicle classes and allows for clear differentiation of vehicle development concepts.

The electrification development organizations (Electrification Design Center and Testing Center) are directly under the headquarters to enable rapid decision-making. The organization researching energy efficiency and electric vehicle safety is also placed directly under the headquarters to accelerate the development of core electrification technologies.

The Vehicle SW Division under the CTO is a core organization necessary for Hyundai Motor and Kia’s transition to SDV. It was reorganized into the most efficient form for SDV development. In addition to the existing Electronics Development Center and Infotainment Development Center, the Autonomous Driving Business Division, Vehicle Control Development Center, and Digital Engineering Center were added.

Hyundai Motor and Kia explained that by consolidating software-related organizations under the Vehicle SW Division, they can achieve not only organic collaboration among related teams but also concentrate human and material resources effectively.

Thirdly, the META (Mobility Engineering & Tech Acceleration) Division is an organization leading the development of next-generation innovative products. It integrates previously dispersed organizations fostering advanced new technologies and basic performance in electrification, chassis, and body fields. It consists of the Mobility Technology Center, Vehicle Performance Technology Center, Vehicle Architecture Development Center, and Basic Materials Research Center.

The newly established Mobility Technology Center develops future innovative new technologies and new concept mobility. Securing next-generation architecture technology is also one of the Mobility Technology Center’s missions. The Vehicle Performance Technology Center was newly established to apply high-performance vehicle technologies to mass-produced vehicles and to conduct advanced research on basic vehicle performance.

Lastly, independent development organizations and the Design Center were also placed directly under the CTO. Businesses excluding passenger cars, such as battery, robotics, hydrogen fuel cells, and commercial vehicles, were consolidated. The Design Center maintained its independent R&D system.

A Hyundai Motor and Kia official said, "The reorganized structure reflects changes in the business environment and has expanded to cover various themes including electrification, software, and robotics in mobility. Through this reorganization, we will form a fast and flexible organization like a startup and respond to the rapidly changing environment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.