The final performance test of the new generation of strategic vehicles

The leaders of the R&D headquarters and the production headquarters of Hyundai Motor Group traveled to Nurburgring, Germany to finalize the next generation of strategic vehicles. This is the first time that the executives in charge of the R&D headquarters and the product development staff in charge of driving efficiency have gathered in one place to test the vehicle's performance.

On the 20th, Hyundai Motor Group announced that it has held a track day to comprehensively test the performance of Hyundai Motors, Kia Motors and Genesis next-generation strategic vehicles at the test center in Nuremberg, Germany from the 15th to the 17th (local time) . .

In this position, Albert Berman, President of R&D Headquarters, VP of Design, Luc Donckerwolke, Executive Director of Product Integration Development, Architecture, Chassis, PM, Durability, Powertrains, NVH and Product Headquarters Planning and operation of products. More than 20 people attended Hyundai Motor, including Thomas Schmier, Vice President of Hyundai Motors, Kia Motors and Genesis Merchandise in Europe. The following models were tested: Genesis G70, JX (development name), RG3 (development name), Hyundai Veloster N, i30 N line and Kia SUV XCeed. This is a competitive car model and other brands.

The participants tested the roads in Germany for the first time. In addition to speeding on the autobahn at speeds up to 280 km/h, he also traveled on national roads with irregular curves and uneven roads. The company tested the limits of car development by repeating the race at the Nürburgring, the longest and toughest race track in the world at 20.8 km.

At each of his sessions, President Albert Berman discussed the acceleration, brakes, ride comfort and noise vibrations of visitors and tested vehicles and gathered opinions on how to improve.

R&D and product leaders came together to conduct extensive product testing of next generation strategic vehicles in line with the latest product development process innovations.

In March, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors reorganized their headquarters into divisions, electric vehicles and cars of the future, to strengthen their expertise, and in July, research and development to respond faster and more flexibly to changes in the automotive industry. We have reorganized our organization into a triangular structure of systems based architecture. The leaders of the two reorganized organizations will meet to share development directions and product improvements for the future. .

Exhibitors also had non-controversial discussions at the event about the latest market trends in Europe and the long-term direction of product development better suited to the future characteristics of the European market.

This is also due to the position of Hyundai and Kia Motors, which have recently been growing in Europe. Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors recorded 6.7% of the market in Europe last year, surpassing 1 million units for the first time.

The European assessment of product technology is also very different from the past. The Kia Motors Ceed GT was recently selected as the most competitive vehicle, beating out BMW and Mercedes-Benz in a three-model comparison test in the same class in the German car magazine Auto Bild Sportscars. Comparison of Auto Motor und Sport with three German representatives of Kona Electric showed a higher score than the BMW "i3" in the category of electric vehicles, and "Nexo" is higher than the F-cell of the Mercedes GLC in the category of hydrogen electric vehicles. got.

In 2013, Hyundai Motor Group set up a test center next to it, which is a symbol of the Nürburgring circuit that can be appreciated at any time, and is currently expanding the center. The test center has tested the durability limits of all new vehicles as well as high-performance vehicles and carried out rigorous evaluations to improve driving performance.

In particular, the Nürburgring circuit is a place where density and acceleration, cornering and durability tests are accumulated, so that the “fatigue phenomenon” is accumulated, for example, a road running 180,000 kilometers on a 10,000 km expressway. Driving Experience is one of the most representative courses that can show all the pros and cons of each car.

"The recent reorganization of the R&D organization has become the starting point for collaboration between product and product departments that plan products," Albert Berman said. “We look forward to hearing directly from potential customers in the same key market and look forward to taking the first step towards further development and innovation in the development process. »

Besides, “At this point, the competition is intensifying. It is imperative that key personnel responsible for product development personally feel the current level and understand the need for change, said “This is thanks to the opportunities that are opening up for the automotive sector of Hyundai Motor Group in the future. We hope to become more aggressive in order to ensure our competitiveness. »