High-Performance Star Bolts From BMW for Hyundai-Kia

Incoming HyundaiKia VP Biermann

For the past two years when Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo has held his annual pep talks with Hyundai and Kia managers, he has cautioned them about increased competition from German automakers in the high-end vehicle segments.

Instead of relying entirely on in-house talent to increase both cash flow and brand value, Chung has approved hiring high-performance specialist Albert Biermann from BMW to lead performance-car development for both Hyundai and Kia.

Biermann, 57, will become executive vice president of Hyundai Motor Group on April 1, leaving his present roles as vice president and engineering chief at both BMW M (formerly BMW Motorsport) and BMW Individual, the exclusive sub-brand that customizes BMW's high-tech M-level cars for high-end buyers.

The impact Biermann is expected to have on both Hyundai and Kia goes beyond development of new models. His input is expected to result in cars with the best suspension systems possible, transforming them into upmarket German-level cars produced in Korea and in Hyundai and Kia plants around the world.

Biermann is known throughout the industry as the development brains behind the German automaker’s coveted M-Series cars based on various BMW models, but with modified drivetrains and other enhancements to achieve high-powered performance.

“This is a senior engineering appointment and an important part of our effort to further optimize the dynamics of our vehicles, providing even greater rewards for keen drivers,” says Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Woong Chul Yang, who heads the Hyundai-Kia R&D Center in Namyang, Korea.

“Mr. Biermann has unrivaled credentials in this field and his expertise and experience will help us bring forward the development of new Hyundai and Kia cars that are great to drive, as well as speed the transfer of innovative technologies and insights between our road-car and motor-sport engineering teams.”

Biermann has been with BMW since 1983. While studying engineering before that he was a competitive race-car driver.

This is the second time a high-profile figure in the German automotive industry has been hired to a high-level position that impacts both Hyundai and Kia.

Designer Peter Schreyer, who won many plaudits for his work at Audi and Volkswagen, was spirited away from VW by Kia in 2006. He was named a Kia president in 2012 and that same year was appointed as chief design officer for both Hyundai and Kia.

The BMW M studios are located in Nurburgring, Germany, where Hyundai this year opened its new European Test Center.

It is not clear whether Biermann will be based in Korea or Germany, or whether, as with Schreyer, he has the option of moving his base office from continent to continent.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join Hyundai Motor Group,” Biermann says in a statement released Dec. 22. “It is a company I have watched closely as it has taken on its key competitors and quickly established a strong customer base in Europe.”

Hyundai and Kia now may be better equipped to challenge BMW, not only in conventional offerings but also in World Rally Championship competition.

Hyundai’s Motorsport unit is participating in the WRC for a second straight year in 2015, fielding highly tuned production-type vehicles in the grueling rallies held in 13 nations that are organized by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile).

BMW’s M business got its start in the motorsport world, modifying production cars before becoming a developer of full-fledged M-Series offerings.