Discover Hyundai: Behind the Design and Innovation

In our previous article, we discussed about the process how Hyundai makes its cars from steel. It’s an amazing feat in itself but it’s only half of the picture. This time we’ll take a look behind the creative process, the design, and the innovation of Hyundai cars.

Day 3 of the Discover Hyundai Korea Forum 2013 begins at the mecca of Hyundai Motors’ technology and design – the Namyang Technical Research and Design Center. Since this is the place where Hyundai conceptualizes and designs future projects, taking photos within the facility are strictly prohibited. We were asked to surrender cameras and place tamper-indicating stickers on our smartphone lenses.

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The moment you walk through the R&D center’s main doors you will be greeted by Hyundai’s museum of cars (including those of Kia) and automotive technology.

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Fortunately, we were temporarily allowed to take photos inside the museum. Below is the Hyundai Pony, Korea’s first mass-produced car.

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Hyundai EQUUS by Hermes:

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Only three of these were made. I was told that the hand-stitched leather interior smells like Hermes bags.

After the quick tour around the museum, we were taken inside a wind tunnel where Hyundai engineers test a car’s aerodynamic properties. We were able to experience a 50kph wind inside the tunnel which is the kind of wind speed you sometimes experience during a typhoon here in the Philippines.

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We asked the engineer to crank up the wind speed but he would only allow that if we leave the tunnel to ensure our safety. We were also given a tour of the tracks where Hyundai test their cars to see how it would behave in different road conditions.

Afterwards, Casey Hyun, the Creative Design Manager of Hyundai, gave us a quick presentation about the company’s Fluidic Sculpture which is about designing a car that is more human, fluid, and dynamic. The first Hyundai car to sport the new Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 is the 2015 Hyundai Genesis.

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One of Hyundai’s concept cars, the Venace:

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Here’s Casey Hyun explaining how their designers create scale models of prototypes:

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These models are actually made of a special clay that are sculpted into the desired shape of a car. Designers can make a life-sized model out of it during final stages of the design process.

Hyundai car designers are given enough freedom when designing cars. When asked why prototypes look different from actual produced cars, Mr. Hyun explained that designers still need to adhere to automotive safety regulations which affects the car’s final design.

Here we are sitting next to Byung Seob Lee, the Vice President of Hyundai Styling Group. He’s like the Jony Ive of Hyundai.

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When asked if Hyundai is a conservative or an aggressive type when it comes to design, he said, if I remember correctly, that Hyundai can easily shift to being conservative to aggressive depending on the market.

After the Q&A with Byun Seob Lee and Casey Hyun, Hyundai gave us a quick briefing about the company’s brand strategy. It basically explained why Hyundai needs to improve on its brand awareness because “consumers buy not only products, they buy brands.” Currently, Hyundai is pushing for the Modern Premium brand – “a volume brand that can deliver pride to its customers through premium experiences and values.”

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Discover Hyundai: From Molten Steel to Cars

Hyundai is one of the most popular automotive brands in the world. Car models like the Genesis, Accent, Elantra, Santa Fe, Tucson, and EON are well-known in the Philippines. So if you’re curious how Hyundai transforms molten steel into real cars, please read on.

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In case you’re wondering what this is all about, the company held the Hyundai Motor Company – Korea Forum 2013 which is the very first start-up event of the 3-day Discover Hyundai program. Those invited to this program are given the chance to visit Hyundai Motor Company facilities in South Korea and witness the entire process of transforming raw steel into a finished car.

YugaTech was chosen to represent the Philippines and participate on the said program, joining delegates from other countries namely France, Germany, Spain, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil, India, and Australia.

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Day 2 of the program (Day 1 was the arrival of delegates) involves visiting the Hyundai Motor Company HQ, Hyundai Steel, Hyundai HYSCO, and Hyundai Motor Asan Plant.

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The tour started at the Hyundai Motor Company HQ in Seoul where we are given a short presentation about Hyundai’s background, historic achievements around the world, current status and future plans.

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Starting as a production-oriented company back in the 1960′s, Hyundai is evolving itself to become a brand-oriented company that is open to “new thinking” and “new possibilities”. Through this, Hyundai aims to become a “Modern Premium” brand that is simple, creative, yet caring.

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Above: Hyundai Motor returns to participate in WRC in 2014 with the Hyundai i20 WRC.

Hyundai Steel

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Next stop is Hyundai Steel where the company transforms iron ores and scrap metals into raw steel as required by Hyundai-Kia Motors and other major heavy industries.

Note: Use of cameras inside the facility is strictly prohibited so we are limited to photos provided by Hyundai.

This is where they unload raw materials from ships using continuous unloader units. Ores mostly come from Brazil and Australia, which is then transferred to the raw material storage facilities. See image below:

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This is what it looks like inside the dome:

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The ores undergo purification processes to remove impurities which then provides materials required to produce steel (Steel = Iron + Carbon).

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Molten steel is then formed into thick slabs and rolled into thin sheets of metal. If you’ve seen how a dough roller works, the concept is similar. The entire process is actually mesmerizing and fun to watch.

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Molten metals are then cooled then cut into sheets or rolled into a coil for storage.

Hyundai HYSCO

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Next is Hyundai HYSCO. From Hyundai Steel, sheets of metal are then treated in this factory as preparation for automotive use. One of the processes involve washing the sheets in acid (pickling) to remove rust, and joining sheets using laser welding.

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Hyundai Motor Asan Plant

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This is where the sheets of metal from HYSCO is pressed to make car parts from doors, hoods, to fenders. Huge numbers of parts are stacked, piled, and used in the same day. If I remember correctly, 90% of the production of this plant is automated and utilizes robots to assemble and paint the cars. The other 10% are by human hand for assembly of some engine parts, wirings, and electronic devices inside the car.

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Once everything is assembled and copacetic, the cars are then started to test the engine and are taken for a quick drive inside the plant. 1,100 Hyundai cars come out of this plant every day.

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This concludes Day 2 of the Discover Hyundai Tour. Next is Day 3 which is a tour inside Hyundai’s Namyang R&D Center.

{image credit: Discover Hyundai}

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