Hyundai Establishes 'Center of Excellence' through long-term R&D Partnerships

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Sept 6, 2012: Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s biggest automotive group, has established the ‘Hyundai Center of Excellence’ by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with two of America’s greatest research universities – University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Davis.

As the first project of Hyundai’s R&D Global Frontier Program, a larger R&D joint research and development program, the MOU establishes a partnership with recognised world leaders in automotive engineering and technology research. This long-range program is designed to strengthen Hyundai Motor Group’s fundamental R&D competency by working with the world’s leading universities and companies. Through this initiative, select Hyundai engineers will join top researchers at both universities to work on vehicle dynamics and integrated vehicle safety systems. The Center of Excellence will conduct research projects aimed at making Hyundai vehicles safer, better-handling, and more fun to drive.

“Collaboration with top-tier partners will accelerate our technology development to go beyond the level of global premium carmakers,” said Vice Chairman Woongchul Yang, head of Hyundai Motor Group’s R&D Division. “Based on such advanced technologies, we will develop world-class vehicles that convey Hyundai’s own philosophy as well as its distinctive emotions.”

The Hyundai R&D Global Frontier program aims to raise R&D competitiveness at an organisational level by immersing its best engineers in the world’s best research institutions for six months to two years to conduct advanced research and development. Each R&D engineer will be given research assignments to produce technological innovations that will be incorporated into future Hyundai vehicles.

The Hyundai R&D Global Frontier project launches with research projects in eight automotive fields including ride and handling, NVH (noise, vibration and harshness), crash-worthiness, Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) technologies and advanced material technologies. This year Hyundai will collaborate with 22 industry leaders in business and academia.

Hyundai R&D Global Frontier partners were chosen carefully: The business partners have deep experience enhancing the performance of leading premium automakers. The California universities enjoy close ties to Silicon Valley and its history of developing cutting-edge technology. Hyundai Motor Group plans to expand the number of partners and fields of research under the Global Frontier program over the next few years.

Business partners include Spain-based Applus IDIADA, U.K.-based Ricardo and Austria-based AVL. Hyundai will also work with elite research institutions, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and Stanford University.

Hyundai R&D is also revolutionising its talent recruitment and professional development programs. For example, the Hyundai Global Top Talent Forum established last year changes the way applicants are interviewed and nurtured throughout their careers. Hyundai’s Research Fellow Program provides a track for outstanding senior research engineers to become executive-level research fellows in specific areas of technical expertise.