Ford RS Chief Engineer Joins Hyundai

Tyrone Johnson, the chief engineer of Ford RS division who led the team that developed the Focus RS, has joined the Hyundai Motor Group.

According to a report by Autocar, Johnson will take over as the head of vehicle test and development at the Hyundai Motor Group European Test and Development facility in Germany.

The role at Hyundai was previously held by Albert Biermann, who has been promoted to be the global head of research and development for Hyundai.

Biermann was the man responsible for overseeing some of the more exciting cars from Hyundai like the Genesis G70, i30 N hot hatch, and the Veloster N.

Now that he has moved to bigger responsibilities, Johnson, who played a vital role in developing some of best driving cars from Ford, is expected to bring his expertise to Hyundai, and continue the brand's efforts to create more exciting performance oriented cars.

German-born, educated in the US and a Ford engineer of 31 years, Tyrone previously worked on first SVT Mustang of 1992, and the first global Mondeo.

From 1992 to 2003, Tyrone was part of Ford’s Stewart Ford and Jaguar Racing Formula 1 teams, as well as the Ford Focus’ entry into World Rally.

Heading up a team of 20, Tyrone was assigned to the current RS three years ago with the intent to create a ground-breaking all-wheel drive platform from scratch.