Hyundai has today officially announced the creation of its ‘High Performance Vehicle & Motorsport Division,’ with a former BMW M boss taking the reins.

The move aims to create better synergy between Hyundai HQ and its racing arm, Hyundai Motorsport, in the creation of high performance cars.

After the i30 N and the announcement of a Veloster N, it’s clear Hyundai wants to expand its presence in the fun-and-fast car market.

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To head up the Performance & Motorsport Division, Hyundai has snagged BMW’s head of BMW M and BMW Individual in the Americas, Thomas Schemera.

Schemera began working for BMW in the 1980s as a design engineer, and has since worked his way up to the top rungs of the M chain, where he has been since 2015.

“I will dedicate my expertise and knowledge obtained over my three-decade career to making a significant contribution to Hyundai’s development in this field and to provide pure driving pleasure to our customers.”

The move by Hyundai shows not only that it’s serious about its performance division, but that it’s also serious about the people in its performance division.

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“Thomas Schemera is one of the most renowned experts in the high performance vehicle business with experience in all of the world’s major markets.

“I am excited he is joining us and I’m confident that his participation will help put Hyundai’s high performance vehicle business onto the fast track.”

The creation of the High Performance Vehicle & Motorsport Division is effective immediately, with Schemera and Biermann set to work together to “further expand customers’ choices for fun-to-drive models.”