Hyundai poaches BMW M man to head performance division

Hyundai and Kia’s aspirations to build serious performance cars have moved up a gear with the appointment of a key executive from BMW’s famous M division. Hyundai has already announced plans to form a performance sub-brand dubbed 'N' and this new appointment from BMW M appears to be the next step towards a sportier future for the Korean marques.

Albert Biermann, 57, will join Hyundai Motor Group in April 2015 as head of vehicle test & high performance development, and has been appointed to help speed up the roll-out of hot Hyundai and Kia models. He will be tasked with improving the dynamic capabilities of the brands’ models across the ranges. 

The firm says it intends to become "a technical leader in ride and handling, producing vehicles that lead their respective segments for driver engagement". 

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Biermann brings with him more than 30 years of experience in the development of fast cars. He joined BMW in 1983 and was involved in some of the company’s most famous road and race cars, and was most recently vice president of engineering of BMW M Automobiles and BMW Individual at BMW M GmbH – a position he held since 2008.

Woong Chul Yang, vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Company and head of Hyundai-Kia R&D Center, said: “This is a senior engineering appointment and an important part of our effort to further optimise the dynamics of our vehicles, providing even greater rewards for keen drivers.

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“Mr. Biermann has unrivalled 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 motorsport engineering teams.”

Do you think a little BMW M knowhow can push Hyundai to the top of the hot hatch charts?  Let us know in the comments section below...