Hyundai has opened a new research and development centre in India to facilitate the company’s expansion and to meet increasing global demand for sub-compact cars.
The AUD$27 million, 18,580m² plant in Hyderabad took over two years to build and will complement its existing manufacturing plant in Chennai.
The centre will support all back-end operations like computer-aided engineering (CAE), computer-aided design (CAD) and support the R&D work taking place across Hyundai’s entire car line-up globally.
It currently employs about 300 engineers, and Hyundai plans to gradually increase this number to further strengthen its operations.
Hyundai Australia’s director of sales and marketing Kevin McCann said the centre will play a vital role in establishing of Hyundai as a leader in small cars in India and around the world.
“Car manufacturers cannot compete in the long run without a globally co-ordinated approach to research and development. Hyundai has a long term, holistic vision for the future, and its new R&D centre in Hyderabad will play an integral role in that plan,” said Mr McCann.
The R&D centre in Hyderabad is Hyundai’s fifth, with others already operating in South Korea, the United States, Japan and Germany.
by Tim Beissmann