Albert Biermann, the president of Hyundai-Kia’s RD division, and Peter Schreyer, president and head of design management at Hyundai, may both be on the chopping block, according to a report from the Korea Times.
The two executives are credited with doing much to improve the Korean automakers’ global reputation, but now the company is looking to transform into a mobility provider and wants to shake things up, the outlet says citing unnamed sources. Part of a larger reshuffle planned for later this week, Chairman Chung Euisun may look to replace the overseas executives. During a similar reshuffle in October of last year, the chairman named a number of new executives trusted by him, including Chang Jae-hoon, Hyundai Motors’ CEO.
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Schreyer has been with the Hyundai Group since 2006, having previously worked as a designer for Audi and Volkswagen. Widely seen as the driving force behind reinventing Kia’s aesthetic, he famously introduced the brand’s “tiger nose” grille. Moreover, during his tenure at the company he has been involved in the design of a number of the group’s vehicles, including the Hyundai i30, the Kia K5 sedan, and the Genesis G90.
Biermann, meanwhile, only joined the conglomerate in 2015, and was formerly the head of BMW‘s M division. Having worked on projects like the Kia Stinger as well as Hyundai’s performance-focused N Division vehicles, his influence over the company has been critically acclaimed.
Indeed, both executives’ work at the company have been widely regarded as successful, so rumors of their departures are surprising. Per a local industry source, though, “Hyundai Motor Group is highly inclined to appoint new faces at a time when the group is trying to transform itself into a mobility maker and not just an automaker.”
We have reached out to Hyundai for comment on this story and will update it if we hear back.
