Hyundai invests $ 100 million in research center in Brazil

Hyundai, best selling car brand farm in the country, started to build a research and Development Center in Piracicaba, in the State of São Paulo, with investment estimated at $ 100 million.
It is expected that the new building will be completed by the end of next year. This will be the fifth of Hyundai Research Center in the world, in addition to the units in operation in South Korea, the Group Headquarters, in United States, in Japan and in Germany.
The initial goal will be developing flex engines (biofuel) fitted to cars produced by the brand in the country. Thus investment is bound to Innovate-Auto, the automotive regime that charges of automakers greater efficiency of propellers, but which also grants them tax breaks on projects such as run by Hyundai.
Today, the Minister of labor and employment, Manoel Dias, participates alongside the President of Hyundai in Brazil, William Lee, the event officially marks the beginning of the works, as well as the renewal of the company's adherence to Science without borders program. During the Day visit the factory, Lee also will sign a document which formalises the undertaking not subject workers to bullying.
After investments of $ 700 million from the Korean group, the factory began producing in September 2012 with the goal of putting together a maximum of 150 thousand cars per year. But in one year of operation the Hyundai was forced to hire a third shift of work to do in the face of the success of the HB20, model manufactured at the site. Between 2013 and 2014, the automaker produced 166.3 thousand respectively and 173.8 thousand vehicles. Now, he's about to reach the milestone of 500 thousand cars since the inauguration of the factory.
Of ninth in the Brazilian market, the brand Hyundai is now behind only four veterans of the industry front-Fiat, General Motors (GM), Volkswagen and Ford-and HB20 in third place among the best-selling cars in the country, excluding the Strada pickup truck analysis, light utility category.
The Koreans, however, has not been immune to the worsening crisis in the market, which reversed the growth curve recorded by HB20 since its launch. This year, sales of the model fall 4.4 percent.