Hyundai Motor Europe appoints Christopher McKinnon to lead new Group Product & Product Director Office Europe
- Christopher McKinnon appointed Vice President, Head of Product and Product Director Office for Europe
- Former Volvo product leader joins to steer Hyundai and Genesis European product strategy through a newly established Group Product & Product Director Office Europe
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Hyundai Motor Europe today announced the appointment of Christopher McKinnon as Vice President, Head of Product and Product Director Office for Europe, which took effect on 1 January 2026. McKinnon reports directly to the company’s President & CEO Xavier Martinet.
Hyundai’s naming of Christopher McKinnon coincides with the launch of the newly created Group Product & Product Director Office Europe, established to strengthen end-to-end product alignment and accelerate regional product planning. Working closely with global counterparts, the office will enhance integration across operations, provide earlier visibility of market requirements, and support a more unified approach to product direction in Europe for Hyundai and Genesis.
Christopher McKinnon brings more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, including the past eight years at Volvo. During his tenure with the Scandinavian brand, he served as Vice President and Vehicle Cluster Product Owner, leading the Volvo EX60 programme. In this capacity, he was responsible for defining the vehicle’s strategic direction and overseeing its development from initial concept through to key delivery milestones.
Throughout his career, Christopher McKinnon has held senior product and brand leadership roles across multiple global automotive manufacturers. At Jaguar Land Rover, he held the positions of Product Marketing Architecture Director and Brand Manager, contributing to portfolio strategy and brand positioning. Earlier, he spent more than a decade at Saab Automobile AB in a variety of product-focused roles, including Global Product Manager and Group Product Manager, where he gained extensive experience in international product strategy, lifecycle management, and cross-functional coordination.
In his new role, Christopher McKinnon will play a pivotal part in strengthening alignment between the European headquarters of the Hyundai and Genesis brands and the company’s global product organisation, ensuring that European customer requirements are embedded earlier and more consistently in future product decisions. Drawing on his extensive experience in global operations planning and vehicle programme leadership, he will drive closer collaboration across regions as the organisation progresses through its next phase of product development.
Christopher is a proven leader in automotive product development with deep experience guiding major vehicle programmes from concept to delivery. The creation of the Group Product & Product Director Office Europe reflects our ambition to move faster and with greater alignment, and Christopher’s background will be instrumental as Hyundai and Genesis continue to shape a strong, future-ready product portfolio for Europe.
Europe is one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving automotive markets in the world. I’m thrilled to join Hyundai Motor Europe at a moment of real momentum. The launch of the Group Product & Product Director Office Europe provides a strong platform to align priorities, accelerate decision-making, and deliver innovative products that meet the needs of European customers.
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Wolfgang Würth
Director PR & Communications
[email protected]Adriana Cerami
Head of Corporate & Brand PR
[email protected]Conor Twomey
Head of Product PR
[email protected]Elvira Vella-Herrera
Executive & Internal Communications Senior Expert
[email protected]Maria Bricio
Corporate & Brand Communications Expert
[email protected]Adrian Péré
Product PR Manager
[email protected]Katharina Kupper
Hyundai Newsroom Lead
[email protected]Patricia Lammers
Corporate Communications Expert
[email protected]Miguel Lopez
Product PR Specialist
