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Peter Schreyer designs the future of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis

Peter Schreyer now leads the design teams at Hyundai, Kia, and the new Genesis brand. He has the difficult task of differentiating the three brands aesthetically, even if they share mechanical components. A new profile about the designer by Bloomberg shows just how much he means to the Korean brands, and it's well worth a read. According to Bloomberg, Schreyer has distinctive ideas for the Korean brands' design. A Kia should look sporty and appeal to young buyers. In contrast, a Hyundai would be for someone who prefers a minimalist design. So far, Genesis is blending those traits for its Athletic Elegance design language. Schreyer went to Kia from Volkswagen Group in 2006, and his mission was to revolutionize the Korean's brand's boring look. He succeeded with sharper, more modern designs for vehicles like the Optima and Sorento that arrived after he took over. He did such a good job there that Hyundai-Kia Motor Group appointed him as its first non-Korean president at the end of 2012. He also now oversees former Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke at the Genesis luxury brand. Bloomberg speaks with industry analysts and other designers to get a better idea of Schreyer's meaning to the company. The piece presents him as an easygoing person who knows exactly how each vehicle should look. If you want to get a better Schreyer and his work at Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis, the story is worth checking out. Related Video:

Hyundai testing more variants of top-secret commercial van

The commercial van market in the US is exploding with new products at the moment, with entries from Ford, Ram, Nissan and others. And we are seeing images (again) of Hyundai testing its own van in Europe, as well, though it's not known whether the model will make it to the US. While the company has offered work vehicles overseas in the past, this one appears to be a direct competitor to European vehicles with large bodies and tiny wheels like the Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
The latest images show off not just the standard commercial van but also the pickup version, and interior for the first time. According to our spy shooters, Hyundai did not want people to see the inside of the test vehicle, reaching out specifically in an attempt to secure the pictures you see here. It's hard to say what's worth being so secretive about, but that big infotainment screen certainly looks like a nice addition. We still aren't sure whether the Korean company has opted for front- or rear-wheel drive for the model, but the gearshift suggests that it's using a six-speed manual transmission.
The pickup truck version has a cab that looks just like the standard van. Testing this variant suggests that Hyundai is addressing the need for multiple body configurations in the commercial space.

Hyundai Motor plans 17 EVs, $16B investment by 2030

SEOUL — South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co said on Wednesday it planned to invest about 95.5 trillion won ($79.21 billion) through 2030, including about 19.4 trillion won ($16.10 billion) towards electric vehicle (EV) related businesses. It also said it plans to introduce 17 EVs in that timeframe, six from Genesis and 11 from the Hyundai brand. Hyundai announced that three of those EVs would be sedans, along with six SUVs, a light commercial vehicle and one new type of model. It will begin sales of the Ioniq 6 later this year, followed by the Ioniq 7 in 2024. Hyundai Motor, which together with affiliate Kia Corp is among the world's top 10 biggest automakers by sales, targets to achieve a 7% market share in the global EV market by 2030, with an annual sales target of 1.87 million vehicles, the automaker said during a virtual investor day. The Seoul-based automaker said it aimed to achieve an operating profit margin of 10% or higher in EV business by 2030. "Hyundai is successfully accelerating its transition to electrification and becoming a global leader in EVs despite a challenging business environment caused by the global chip shortage and ongoing pandemic," Hyundai Motor Chief Executive Officer Jaehoon Chang said. Analysts, however said Hyundai's $16 billion investment in EV business would not be considered an "aggressive" approach compared to its rivals, adding, the investment is easily dwarfed by bigger rivals including Toyota Motor Corp, which plans to invest 8 trillion yen ($69.43 billion) for electrification by 2030. "Hyundai is allocating about 20% of its 95.5 trillion won investment to EV related businesses, which includes building new plants, EV charging stations and strategic alliances with battery manufacturers and the investment amount for EV does not seem too surprising or aggressive," said Eugene Investment & Securities analyst Lee Jae-il. Chang said Hyundai was considering building new dedicated EV production plants without proving details of new factories, including locations and timeline. Analysts said Hyundai would be eying on building dedicated EV factories in the United States, as it considers that as its key EV market. Shares in Hyundai Motor closed down 2.6%, compared to the benchmark KOSPI's 0.2% gain. ($1 = 1,205.2600 won) ($1 = 115.2300 yen) (Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Joyce Lee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Rashmi Aich) Related video: This content is hosted by a third party.