Date:21/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/04/21/stories/2007042101470300.htm

Back Hyundai investing $40 m in R&D centre

Our Bureau

Hyderabad April 20 Hyundai Motor India has commissioned its R&D centre in Hyderabad and plans to invest up to $40 million in the facility whose mandate is to engineer and design `future cars.'

The Managing Director of Hyundai Motor India, Mr Heung Soo Lheem, said: "The company has inducted about 100 people since it commenced operations recently and expects this to go up to 200 people by the year-end. We expect to grow this to about 800 people by 2009."

Entire Project

Speaking to newspersons here, Mr Lheem said that the focus of this centre would be on computer-aided design, computer-aided analysis and software development for cars of the future.

Eventually, what gets mounted on some of the cars globally would also be incorporated in cars made in India.

This R&D centre is not for the current crop of cars made by Hyundai, Mr Lheem said to highlight the nature and scope of engagement here. Mr M. Whoo, Managing Director of Hyundai Motor Engineering, is heading the R&D and engineering operations in Hyderabad.

The company has acquired a 15-acre site in Hyderabad near the Hitec City and plans to develop its campus for R&D by 2009. The entire project would be scaled up in a modular fashion, Mr Lheem said.