Hyundai gives Jose Muñoz more oversight of global markets

Jose Muñoz, Hyundai Motor Co.'s global COO, is being tasked with expanded oversight for the Korean automaker.

Among the additional duties: product and sales management in Africa, Europe, India and the Middle East, the automaker said Monday.

Muñoz will retain his role as CEO of Hyundai Motor North America and Hyundai Motor America, responsible for operations strategies, growth and performance in North, Central and South America.

But he now will additionally oversee Hyundai's global talent recruitment and retention in its new technology-based businesses, and he will work more closely with Hyundai's venture capital firm in Silicon Valley to identify tech-focused talent in design and programming.

Muñoz, 56, who joined Hyundai in 2019, additionally will join the company's board of management, pending approval at Hyundai's general shareholder meeting next March.

"Jose is a definitely proven leader and we expect his expanded role will greatly enhance our global operational excellence," Hyundai Motor Co. CEO Jaehoon Chang said in a statement.

Muñoz has enabled Hyundai to boost its position in the critical U.S. market during the daunting period of pandemic disruption and industrywide supply chain problems.

At the same time, Muñoz will take a seat on the board of directors for Motional, the $4 billion autonomous driving joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and global tech supplier Aptiv.

Motional is developing an autonomous driving platform for robotaxi providers, fleet operators and carmakers. It has been operating a small fleet of robotaxis in Las Vegas through the Lyft network and most recently Via, a digital transit provider.

In 2023, the venture expects to take the robotaxi service public and use a fleet of Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric crossovers.

Hyundai also has created two global departments to help Muñoz manage product rollouts on a global scale, said a spokesperson for Hyundai Motor North America.

The first department, called Product Director Office, will determine the best markets for a new vehicle before it launches, as well as what capabilities and trims it needs in specific markets.

The second department, Product Line Management, will determine how many vehicles are needed for each market.