Genesis appoints ex-BMW development boss as head of architecture development

Rahman will be waving goodbye to his role as concept and platform architecture leader on a number of model lines at BMW, including the 7 Series, X-badged crossovers and M division cars.

His most recent role – ending on November 1 – involved heading up the M equipment, M Sport lines and BMW Individual lines.

Hyundai will be tapping his expertise to lead "new vehicle architecture development processes," initially focusing on enhancing performance and handling in Genesis cars.

Early on, the development process will revolve around the specifications and electronic systems in Genesis vehicles. The things learned from these processes will gradually be rolled out across the wider Hyundai range, in an attempt to have them "directly compete with Europe's leading premium car manufacturers."

We want to develop a flexible and future-oriented vehicle architecture that is unique to Hyundai Motor Group, to secure competitiveness, especially in the areas of vehicle performance and quality," said Fayez Abdul Rahman.

It should come as no surprise to see Hyundai poaching talent from BMW. Albert Biermann, executive vice president of Hyundai Motor Group – and the man responsible for performance and high-performance vehicle development – was once head of the BMW M division.

The company is clearly serious about advancing its sports car program. The company has a test facility at the Nurburgring, and will release the i30 N into the wild early next year.

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