By alley - Mar 2, 2018, 12:03 PM ET

Hyundai names Schemera to lead new high performance division

Hyundai Motor Company has named Thomas Schemera to lead its newly established high performance vehicle and motorsport businesses as the brand expands its reach in racing.

The German-born Schemera studied mechanical engineering at Munich University of Applied Science and began his career as a designing engineer at BMW in 1987. He played various key roles at BMW Group in sales and dealer development, and most recently served as the Head of BMW M and BMW Individual in the Americas.

Hyundai's i30 N model, which was introduced in 2017, will take to the track in 2018 with

Bryan Herta Autosport's two-car team

in the Pirelli World Challenge's TCR class. Hyundai will soon add the Veloster N model to the high-performance line-up this year.

"I am thrilled to join Hyundai Motor, which is presenting incredible prowess in its high performance technologies through models like the i30 N, despite being relatively new to this competitive scene," Schemera said. "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 High Performance Vehicle & Motorsport Division, which was launched in March, is meant to work closely with the company's motorsport arm Hyundai Motorsport GmbH, to further develop the high performance vehicle business.