Former Daimler engineering head joins Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group said on Tuesday that it has appointed Martin Zeilinger, former head of Pre-Development of Daimler Trucks, as Executive Vice President and head of Commercial Vehicle (CV) Development Tech Unit. Zeilinger, who starts his first day at Hyundai today, will be in charge of research and development (R&D) of eco-friendly commercial vehicles, such as hydrogen-powered trucks and buses.

Having worked as a commercial vehicle engineer at Daimler for over 30 years, Zeilinger is thought to be the most leading expert in commercial vehicle development. After starting his career at Mercedes-Benz Trucks in 1987, Zeilinger joined EvoBus, a Daimler Truck subsidiary, in 2004 and took charge of the development of hydrogen-powered buses. In 2014, he was responsible for the pre-development of Daimler trucks, spearheading the development of urban electric trucks and autonomous trucks.

Taking this opportunity, Hyundai Motor Group aims to speed up the development of future commercial vehicles. Hyundai established Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and Switzerland-based H2E, last year with an aim to put 1,600 hydrogen-powered trucks on European roads by 2025. The South Korean carmaker unveiled its new hydrogen-powered buses and high-speed hydrogen-powered electric buses for police.

“The commercial vehicle industry has big environmental and economic challenges but also has big chances for efficient and clean transportation with new technologies and vehicles,” said Zeilinger, sharing his expectations of joining the company.


Si-Uk Nam @donga.com