Hyundai and Vitesco ink $2.1B deal for electric-drive units for smaller cars

Vitesco, the powertrain company spun off from Continental last year, has won a 2 billion-euro ($2.1 billion) contract to supply electric-drive modules to Hyundai Motor Group for small and compact electric cars.

The contract was announced in March by Vitesco CEO Andreas Wolf, but no details were given. Vitesco said Monday it would provide Hyundai with its EMR4 integrated drive system, including an electric motor, a gearbox and axles, and power electronics.

Initially the order is for a 400 watt/160 kilowatt unit, but Vitesco says the EMR4 system is scalable and can be used across segments on the same platform. It has a power range of 80 to 230 kw, compared with a narrower range of 120 to 150 kw for the earlier generation.

Hyundai’s main EV platform is the E-GMP, first seen in the compact Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and the Genesis GV60. 

Hyundai has not announced officially its future electric vehicle lineup, but the Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60 will be followed by midsize sedans and SUVs. However, Hyundai brand officials told Automotive News Europe last year that smaller Ioniq models on the E-GMP platform were “likely.”