Hyundai Motor Group Strengthens Development of 'High-Performance Genesis' by Hiring Executive from Porsche

Hyundai Motor Group has recruited talent from Porsche Taycan developers to strengthen its competitiveness in developing high-performance luxury vehicles. The group aims to elevate Genesis and high-performance vehicle development capabilities by bringing in an individual who has led world-class high-performance car development across both internal combustion and electrified vehicles.

On the 28th, Hyundai Motor Group announced the establishment of the Genesis and Performance Development Division under Hyundai and Kia’s R&D headquarters and appointed Manfred Harrer as the head. Vice President Harrer is a figure who has led research and development at global companies such as Porsche and Apple.

This appointment is interpreted as a strategic move to enhance development competitiveness and accelerate electrification transition by recruiting a heavyweight talent who has led global automotive market trends. Vice President Harrer will oversee Genesis and vehicle performance technology development at Hyundai Motor Group.

Manfred Harrer, Vice President in charge of Genesis and Performance Development [Photo by Hyundai Motor Group]

Recently, Hyundai Motor Group has been simultaneously strengthening its premium brand Genesis and high-performance brand 'N'. As part of this strategy, in March, the group unveiled the 'Genesis Magma' project, a high-performance version of the Genesis brand, and showcased a concept car. The idea is to maximize vehicle quality and performance to expand the Genesis brand’s domain from luxury cars to high-performance vehicles.

In March, the high-performance version of the GV60 Magma concept car was showcased at Genesis New York House, and in April, the Magma concept car of the G80 electrified vehicle was unveiled for the first time worldwide at the Beijing Motor Show in China. The United States is currently the market where Hyundai Motor Group is focusing most on electrified vehicle sales, and China, leading the global industry, is the world’s largest electric vehicle market. Hyundai Motor Group is expanding sales by simultaneously strengthening luxury and high-performance images in the U.S. and China. The high-performance Genesis project 'Genesis Magma' aims to realize a unique high-performance vehicle for Genesis that combines technology and sporty design beyond mere vehicle performance improvements.

Vice President Harrer will oversee the development of all Genesis models and strengthen the product appeal of the premium brand Genesis. At the same time, he will lead the development of Hyundai’s 'N' high-performance vehicles and drive competitiveness enhancement in the high-performance vehicle sector.

Since 1997, Harrer has developed various vehicle models at leading global automotive brands such as Audi, BMW, and Porsche for about 25 years. He is an expert in vehicle development with comprehensive experience ranging from chassis technology development to electronic systems, software development, and project management. He worked as a senior product design engineer at Apple and was responsible for vehicle control and energy-related development at Cariad, a software subsidiary under the Volkswagen Group. Notably, more than half of his career was at Porsche, where he worked for 14 years and led major vehicle development projects. He participated in the development of internal combustion vehicles such as the Cayenne and Boxster, as well as Porsche’s first electric vehicle, the Taycan.

Vice President Harrer said, "I decided to join because I have deep trust in Hyundai Motor Group’s innovation as a global mobility company," adding, "I will contribute to technological innovation based on my extensive experience in the automotive industry."