March 1, 2018—Hyundai has established a new division to enhance its high performance vehicle and motorsport businesses and has appointed Thomas Schemera to lead the new division.
The High Performance Vehicle & Motorsport Division, which was launched effective March, will streamline Hyundai’s strategy, product planning, sales and marketing capabilities for high performance vehicle operations to maximize synergy between headquarters and the company’s motorsport arm Hyundai Motorsport GmbH, to further develop the high performance vehicle business.
Since the company’s foray into high performance vehicles in 2012, Hyundai Motor has steadily expanded its global presence in this field. Last year, the company launched the high-performance N line-up with the i30 N model, followed by the Veloster N’s world premiere at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich. earlier this year.
German-born Schemera, 55, studied mechanical engineering at Bochum University of Applied Science and Industrial Engineering & Economics at Munich University of Applied Science. He began his career as a designing engineer at BMW in 1987.
He played various key roles at BMW Group including the four-year service as the vice president of sales and dealer development in the mainland and Greater China region, where he led the four-fold increase in sales of BMW and BMW M models from 2005 to 2008. Most recently, he served as the head of BMW M and BMW Individual in the Americas.
