Dive Brief:
- Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. are reorganizing their research and development division and creating a new advanced vehicle platform division to support the development of software-defined vehicles and mobility solutions, the companies said Thursday.
- Heui Won Yang, former head of the automakers’ total vehicle development division, will lead the companies’ reorganized research and development division.
- It’s the second time the automakers have reorganized their R&D efforts around software-defined vehicles in the past year.
Dive Insight:
Automakers are beginning to restructure their organizations as they transition from internal-combustion-engine vehicles with limited connectivity to electric vehicles that are defined as much by their software as their atoms.
Toyota Motor Corp., for instance, shook up its data and software division in August after shifting more than half of its R&D staff and budgets to accelerate its EV and software-defined vehicle development in March.
Hyundai and Kia’s advanced vehicle platform division will focus on product innovation, hardware and software. The companies are combining their former software-defined vehicle division with other business units to create the advanced vehicle platform division.
The newly restructured R&D division will work closely with the advanced vehicle platform division on software-defined vehicles, according to a press release.
Chang Song, president and head of the defunct software-defined vehicle division, will lead the advanced vehicle platform division and continue as CEO of 42dot, Hyundai’s autonomous vehicle division.
