Beginning on January 1, 2025, the Hyundai Motor Company will have a new CEO. Jose Munoz was appointed as the new head of the Korean automaker, succeeding current President and CEO Jaehoon Chang. Chang will be promoted to the Vice Chair of Hyundai Motor Group's automotive division.
Munoz is a Spanish businessman who previously served as the CEO of Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America. Prior to that, he was the Chief Performance Officer for Nissan Motor Corporation and the Chairman of Nissan China and North America for over 15 years.
Munoz joined Hyundai in 2019 and helped grow the portfolio with products like the Ioniq 5, and focused on expanding the brand’s footprint nationwide. Under his leadership, Hyundai invested $12.6 billion toward a new “Metaplant” and two new joint battery ventures in Georgia.
"Jose is a proven leader with vast global experience and is ideally suited to lead Hyundai as competitiveness and business uncertainty increases. As recently outlined at our CEO Investor Day, we have a clear Hyundai Way vision to create a future centered on mobility and energy. Together with José and the rest of our leadership team, the future is very bright for Hyundai."
- Jaehoon Chang, Vice Chair of Hyundai Motor Group – Automotive Division
Munoz will wrap up his tenure as CEO of Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America with the debut of the new Ioniq 9 electric SUV at the 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show. Like the smaller Ioniq 5, the Ioniq 9 was developed under Munoz as part of his plan to expand the automaker’s electric portfolio.