Rumour: Hyundai Has Shut Down Its Engine R&D Project In South Korea

The restructuring will see its ICE development team shift focus towards electric vehicles

According to media reports in South Korea, Hyundai has shut down the engine development project at its R&D facility in the country. The R&D division, which houses 12,000 personnel, will now focus on the development of EVs. The carmaker has also established a Battery Development Center to aid its future endeavours.

Hyundai has not only shut down its engine development program, but (again rumoured) also declared its policy of not releasing new ICE (internal combustion engine) models.

The product development teams have also been integrated so that only one team will handle the development of new EV models. This, along with the restructuring at the Namyang Research Institute, will provide for more efficient development of new models.

Hyundai, in the recent past, has toyed with alternatives to the ICE such as EVs and hydrogen-powered cars. It has introduced EVs under its IONIQ sub-brand, and even hydrogen-powered cars under the Nexo name. Its sister concern, Kia, has the EV6 as well.

As far as India is concerned, Hyundai’s current crop of models and engines aren’t going anywhere soon. They could, however, see fewer updates over the years, with the brand shifting its focus to bringing in more electric models. 

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