New European Hyundai Motor Headquarters in Rüsselsheim

Rüsselsheim, Germany (ots) - Under the motto "Stepping Forward" Hyundai Motor opened its new European headquarters at their site in Rüsselsheim, Germany, one day prior to the opening of the IAA

- Investment of 50 Million Euro

- Expanded R&D and Design facilities

- Expanding position as 3rd largest European import brand

The unique architecture of the Hyundai Motors European Headquarters, situated in Rüsselsheim, brings the Sales and Marketing, R&D and Design departments together under one roof.

Built at a cost of over 50 million Euro, the 25,000 square metres of workspace are housed in a state-of-the-art building which reflects both the commitment of the company to Europe and the uniquely Korean nature of Hyundai. A four-story circular building houses the Sales and Marketing division, the two story, rectangular R&D section adjoins it and in turn leads into the Design section. The whole building is designed to convey the Hyundai theme of "Hyundai Motor Europe where Precision meets Passion."

Bringing these vital functions together is a move designed to maximise the potential of the European market by offering the best service to importers, dealers and clients, while providing a flexible infrastructure to ensure the products and quality meet European demands.

Each division has an important role to play in bringing Hyundai nearer to its aim of becoming one of the global top five international car makers within the next decade. Combining them into one facility is a major step towards each of them fulfilling this role while working in harmony.

Marketing & Sales Center

As Hyundai invests more into the international brand, the Marketing Center will become a natural focal point for maximising the effect of corporate sponsorship such as the UEFA 2004 and FIFA Worldcup 2006.

In the medium term, both by brand building activities and by active involvement in the development of new, European oriented models, the Marketing & Sales Center intends to substantially raise penetration with a target of some 300,000 vehicles this year, or approximately 1.9 percent market share.

The Hyundia Kia European R&D Center

The purpose of the R&D Center is to ensure that every Hyundai model is fitted to the exacting demands of the European customer, such as i.e. the Hyundai Getz or the latest project, the Hyundai CCS convertible study being unveiled at the motor show in Frankfurt. The facility is equipped both to evaluate new or existing power trains, and also to actively engage in their development. Like the other departments, remaining constantly in communication with the head office in Namyang, Korea and with other facilities in Japan and the USA.

The Hyundai Kia European Design Center

The objectives of the Design Center can best be expressed by "Creating the best design value for the European Market." This includes taking European design tendencies and needs, adding European human resources and feeding them into the infrastructure of design studios throughout the Hyundai Motor Group.