Genesis on Tuesday announced it has hired former BMW engineer Fayez Abdul Rahman as Vice President of Genesis Architecture Development.
In his new role, Rahman will oversee development of next-generation vehicle platforms for Genesis cars and possibly some at Hyundai and Kia.
His first task will be to lead planning for specification and performance of upcoming Genesis cars and incorporate this into the platform designs. Crucially, the platforms will need to be flexible and future-oriented, as they will need to accommodate various body styles and powertrain types, including pure electric.
Rahman is quite accomplished in the area of vehicle platforms. At BMW, he oversaw platform development for several cars lines at BMW, including the 7-Series and some X SUV models. At Genesis, he will focus on enhancing the performance of the brand’s vehicles but also their quality.
“I am very excited to be a part of this dynamic organization and am impressed by the remarkable progress made by Hyundai Motor Group over the past decade,” he said in a statement.
Rahman is the second high-ranking BMW engineer to join Genesis. BMW M veteran Albert Biermann was hired in 2014 to improve the performance of vehicles not only from Genesis but also Hyundai and Kia.
The Genesis lineup consists of three sedans, the latest being the G70 small sport sedan. The company has confirmed plans to add three more cars by the end of the decade. They will include two SUVs and a coupe.
