José Muñoz, the first foreign CEO of Hyundai Motor since its establishment, emphasized in his first town hall meeting since taking office, “The top priority for Hyundai is to present vehicles with the technology and features that customers desire, with the highest level of quality and design.”
According to Hyundai Motor on the 21st, Muñoz met with about 80 employees at Hyundai’s Namyang Research Center the previous day to share his thoughts from his first two months as CEO and discuss Hyundai’s management strategy and vision for the future.
In addition to those from the Namyang Research Center, Hyundai employees from Yangjae, Pangyo, and Uiwang participated, and over 15,000 global Hyundai employees joined via a live online broadcast from locations including China, India, and Indonesia.
Muñoz stated, “I feel a great pride in Hyundai’s strength and potential as it expands globally,” and expressed his honor in joining Hyundai’s growth journey with customers, employees, and partners. He further encouraged collaboration to create impressive achievements that delight customers.
He identified key goals for Hyundai as providing top-level technology, quality, design, market-specific strategies, and customer-oriented services.
Muñoz stressed, “We must continually present high-quality vehicles with the beautiful designs and technologies desired by customers,” and emphasized, “We should not market imperfect products.”
Particularly, he stated, “Quality and safety remain Hyundai’s top values from the past, present, and into the future, without compromise,” highlighting the need to maximize customer value based on superior quality.
Regarding market shifts in electric vehicle demand and Hyundai’s strategy, he mentioned, “The automotive industry must flexibly meet consumer needs,” and stated plans to continue investing in a diverse portfolio including EVs, HEVs, PHEVs, and FCEVs, with a commitment to work harder than others.
Commenting on autonomous driving, he noted, “Autonomous vehicles have tremendous potential to enable safer, more convenient, and efficient driving,” and spoke of enhancing the technology through data collection and partnerships.
Muñoz joined Hyundai in 2019 as Global Chief Operating Officer (GCOO) and head of the Americas, quickly establishing record performances in North America through strengthening dealer competitiveness and profitability-focused management.
His contributions were acknowledged in 2022 with his appointment as COO overseeing global operations in regions including Europe, India, and the Middle East, while also serving as an internal director of Hyundai, solidifying his reputation as a proven leader in the global automotive industry.
Finally, Muñoz encouraged employees by stressing the importance of his 3Hs: “Stay Humble, Stay Hungry, Work Hard,” and expressed his commitment to serving the employees in working together to serve customers.