Hyundai Motor names 4 new presidents in year-end reshuffle

Manfred Harrer, left, president and head of R&D at Hyundai Motor, and Jung Jun-cheul, president and head of manufacturing at the carmaker / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group has named four new presidents during its year-end reshuffle of top management, with a keen focus on enhancing its research and manufacturing capabilities to drive an era of software-defined vehicles (SDVs), the carmaker said Thursday.

Manfred Harrer, former executive vice president at the carmaker, has been promoted to president and head of R&D. Since joining the carmaker in 2024, he has improved overall vehicle performance, according to the group.

“The new R&D chief will enhance Hyundai Motor Group’s technological competitiveness for its successful transformation into an SDV maker,” a Hyundai official said.

The carmaker, however, did not fill in the position of former President Song Chang-hyun, who led the carmaker’s advanced vehicle platform division. Song mapped out the carmaker’s SDV strategy, but he stepped down from the position on Dec. 5 apparently due to the firm’s delayed progress in autonomous driving.

On the hardware front, the carmaker also promoted Jung Jun-cheul, former executive vice president and head of manufacturing solutions, to president. Jung is in charge of the group’s overall manufacturing solutions and a purchasing division for its stable supply chain management.

Jung will focus on reshaping the carmaker’s next-generation software-driven manufacturing systems. As Hyundai Motor Group is also betting big on robotics, Jung’s role as head of manufacturing is also expected to widen after the promotion.

Yoon Seung-kyu, left, president and head of Kia North America, and Hyundai Steel President Lee Bo-ryong / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

The group also promoted two other executives as new presidents.

Yoon Seung-kyu, who led Kia’s regional business in North America, has been promoted to the carmaker’s new president on his unmatched expertise in sales, the carmaker said. Yoon has driven Kia’s retail sales growth of more than 8 percent this year from a year earlier despite toughening market competition in North America, the carmaker said.

Hyundai Steel also named Lee Bo-ryong, head of the production division, as another new president. Lee is recognized for his broad range of experiences in engineering as well as detailed business management.

He is expected to drive the steelmaker’s strategic investment in facilities and technologies on time, and is considered one of the most qualified figures to enhance the firm’s global competitiveness, according to the company.

Outgoing Hyundai Steel CEO Seo Gang-hyun will move to Hyundai Motor Group’s planning and coordination division. Seo is one of the group’s representative experts in finance, having worked as chief financial officer at Hyundai Motor before becoming the steelmaker’s leader in 2023. He is tasked with playing a role as a mediator to optimize business synergy between the group’s key affiliates.