Podcast ep.6 | How our racing cars inspire road cars
- The sixth episode of Hyundai Motor’s podcast, Are We There Yet?, has been released
- This episode features guests Till Wartenberg, Vice President and Head of N Brand Management and Motorsport Sub-division at Hyundai Motor Company, and Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing driver Luca Engstler
- Wartenberg and Engstler discuss the N brand’s commitment to cater to its younger customer base, as well as technology transfer from motorsport to N models and other Hyundai road-going cars
- Listen and subscribe to podcast here
In “How our racing cars inspire road cars”, Perry invites Till Wartenberg, Vice President and Head of N Brand Management and Motorsport Sub-division at Hyundai Motor Company, and Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing driver Luca Engstler to discuss the latest developments of Hyundai’s N brand.
In the sixth episode, Wartenberg and Engstler enlighten listeners on what N stands for and what it is striving to achieve for the Hyundai brand, how its younger target group influences the development of the company, as well as where N stands in this new era of electrification.
Ep.6: How our racing cars inspire road cars
Wartenberg recounts the announcements at Hyundai’s recent N Day event, including the world premiere of the all-new KONA N, the shift in N’s core message, and the brand’s commitment to electrification.
It was announced that we are expanding more with the N brand: we are thinking about electrification of N with whatever propulsion that might be feasible in the future. We cannot stand still, and the ICE era will keep going on for a while. In the end, we need to have a successful transition to the electrification of the high-performance segments. It becomes clearer and clearer that battery or hydrogen-electric will be part of future high-performance car models.
Wartenberg also talks about the success of N’s launch with i30 N, the differing business practices in South Korea and Germany, and the process of transferring knowledge from the race track to the road to develop better high-performance models.
Luca Engstler takes a break from the circuit to share his role in the development of Hyundai’s TCR cars, the experience of taking customers for a drive around the race track, and, as his father Franz Engstler is also a racing driver, stories of balancing work and family.
I’m fully involved in the development of the TCR cars. For us, it is important to understand how the car is braking, cornering, how the dampers are working. But then, we speak about pure power as well. We speak about steering. The [racing and road] cars are so close, and whatever we develop and find out on the race weekend goes to help improve the road car as well.
Listeners can subscribe to Hyundai Motor’s podcast, Are We There Yet?, and hear the latest episode now to learn more about how motorsport inspires Hyundai N models and other road-going cars. It is available on Spotify, Apple, Google, Podcasts, Stitcher, Acast and other podcast streaming platforms and is produced by Fresh Air Production.
About Suzi Perry
Suzi Perry is a pioneering British motorsport presenter who previously presented the BBC’s MotoGP coverage for 13 years. In 2013, she became the first ever female presenter of the organisation’s Formula One coverage. Over the course of her career, Perry has also covered the Olympic Games, Wimbledon and the London Marathon. She also served as the presenter of Channel 5’s The Gadget Show for eight years.
About Fresh Air Production
Founded in 2003, Fresh Air Production is an award-winning audio production company that specialises in branded podcasts, radio advertising and radio programmes. Fresh Air has won several awards, including a Corporate Content Award in 2019 for “Production Company of the Year”.
About Till Wartenberg
Till Wartenberg is currently the Vice President and Head of N Brand Management and Motorsport Sub-division at Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea. Before moving to Asia, Wartenberg was the Director of Marketing at Hyundai Motor Germany for three years. Before joining Hyundai in 2016, he spent 16 years at another major auto manufacturer, holding various roles.
About Luca Engstler
Luca Engstler is a Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing driver, who has followed his father into the world of racing. He has raced in various TCR series around the world, winning six championships. Engstler switched to Hyundai Motorsport in 2018 and, in 2019, raced in the WTCR at 19 years old.
Disclaimer: CO2 and emissions data for KONA N
This model may not yet be available for sale in your country. Fuel consumption and CO2 values for this model have not yet been determined.
Disclaimer: CO2 and emissions data for i30 N
This model may not yet be available for sale in your country. Fuel consumption and CO2 values for this model have not yet been determined.
Press contact
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Natasha Waddington
Head of PR
natasha.waddington@hyundai.co.ukRobin Hayles
Head of Product & Technical PR
robin.hayles@hyundai.co.ukEmma Illman
Product Press Officer
emma.illman@hyundai.co.ukHarriet Ward
PR Coordinator
