Hyundai Motor Group, including Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation, said it had established a new research and development (R&D) structure designed to enhance its “future mobility development capabilities” as the group boosts development of connected, intelligent vehicles.

The newly restructured R&D Division will be headed by Heui Won Yang who was promoted from EVP of the Total Vehicle Development (TVD) Division where he gained significant expertise in vehicle development including platform engineering, design and project management.

The new R&D Division will enhance HMG’s R&D efficiency and competitiveness and speed up the introduction of new mobility products and services. It will work closely with the newly created Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division to accelerate software defined vehicle (SDV) strategies and develop competitive future mobility products and services.

The AVP Division was created by merging the group’s SDV Division, the Mobility Engineering and Technology Acceleration (META) Tech Unit and Vehicle SW Tech Unit. It will be run by Chang Song, the former head of the SDV Division, and will oversee the development of HMG’s product innovations including software and hardware. It will also continue to oversee 42dot, a separate autonomous vehicle technology company.

The R&D Division and the AVP Division will be the main pillars of HMG’s R&D operations, driving forward the group’s hardware and software innovation.