• Hyundai Motor CEO José Muñoz shared his strategic vision for the company, encouraging direct and open communication between employees
• Muñoz emphasized Hyundai Motor’s customer-centric vision and the need to deliver exceptional customer service across every element of operations
• He reinforced the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality products as part of Hyundai Motor’s aim to further strengthen global competitiveness
• Muñoz underscored Hyundai’s global EV and autonomous driving leadership, pointing to further success through tech development and strategic partnerships
• Now in its 30th year, the Namyang R&D Center is crucial to Hyundai Motor’s global innovation efforts, supporting comprehensive vehicle and technology development

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Hyundai Motor Company President and CEO José Muñoz held a town hall meeting with employees at the company’s Namyang R&D Center, his first such meeting since assuming the role of Hyundai Motor CEO. At the event, Muñoz underscored his commitment to direct communication with employees and that engineers share the common language of data and statistics.

Beginning the town hall, President Muñoz spoke directly about future business plans, emphasizing the importance of Hyundai Motor’s customer-centric philosophy and achieving the highest quality standards to ensure sustainable success amid the rapidly changing business environment.

“As an engineer myself, I have been looking forward to spending time with the outstanding team here at Namyang. I tend to challenge engineers, because I have high expectations for people I care about, like my family,” said President Muñoz.

President Muñoz shared his reflections on his first two months as CEO and outlined Hyundai Motor’s management strategy, future vision, and approach to overcoming key challenges.

“We will succeed by continuing to deliver beautifully designed, high-quality vehicles with technology that customers want. We must treat our customers as honored guests and provide exceptional service,” he said.

Muñoz also shared his leadership approach, offering insights from his extensive global automotive and mobility industry experience. Since joining Hyundai Motor Company in 2019, he has driven significant growth and profitability, solidifying his leadership in the global mobility industry.

Speaking at the town hall, President and CEO Muñoz said, “It’s an honor to serve our customers, employees, dealers, suppliers and other stakeholders in this new capacity.”

The session reinforced the pivotal role the Namyang R&D Center has played in Hyundai Motor’s position as a top three global mobility brand. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the 3.47 million-square-meter facility is a comprehensive research and development hub, with world-class capabilities in software development, design and engineering, and vehicle testing and evaluation.

“Our global center for R&D has a phenomenal track record of delivering beautifully designed, high-quality, safety-focused vehicles with technology and features that our customers value. This is evidenced through Hyundai’s increasing sales, market share, profitability, and industry accolades around the world. I don’t think any brand has won more World Car of the Year Awards than Hyundai in the last few years, and we can trace this back to all the excellent work happening here in Namyang. This is where the magic happens!” he added.

Closing the event, Muñoz called on all Hyundai Motor employees worldwide to continue striving for excellence, encouraging them to “Stay humble, stay hungry, work hard and always have a customer service mindset – I am here to serve you so we can serve our customers together.”

About Hyundai Motor Company

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/ or Newsroom: Media Hub by Hyundai

BEIJING, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from China Daily:

Despite arriving in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, at midnight, Bu Shengyao rose early the next day and spent the entire morning having her photo taken in front of Saint Sophia Cathedral.

“This is my most important task during my trip to the city,” said the 25-year-old from Hangzhou in East China’s Zhejiang province. “Wearing European-style royal attire and holding a scepter, I enjoy the experience of dressing up as a princess.”

The cathedral, one of the best-known landmarks in Harbin and a well-preserved example of Byzantine architecture in China, is open to the public as an architectural art gallery.

Bu said: “As such photos are quite popular on social media platforms, I booked my assignment with a travel photography studio in Harbin several days in advance. I have never seen such magnificent Russian-style architecture before, and I am really looking forward to receiving my photos.”

The Harbin branch of Daka Travel Photography has had 40 to 50 customers a day in the winter season.

Zhao Wenlin, manager of the business, said: “Most of our clients come from southern areas of China, such as Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Shanghai. Their ages range from 8 to about 50.”

“Daka Travel Photography, which is based in Beijing, has branches nationwide, but the one in Harbin is by far the company’s busiest,” she said. “There are at least 100 photographic studios in surrounding areas, and our staff members usually work from 9 am to midnight.”

Harbin Railway Station, with its European-style architecture, has also gained fame on social media.

Since China Railway Harbin Group operated the first photography-themed train in early January, approximately 1,000 passengers have taken photos during the journey on Train K5197 running from Harbin to Yabuli, a ski resort cluster that has eight venues for the ninth Asian Winter Games.

The ongoing sporting event has attracted the attention of global tourists this winter, injecting strong impetus into the development of the local ice and snow economy.

As its snow and ice economy continues to boom, Harbin has once again jumped to the list of popular tourism destinations domestically and abroad.

Provides 25 Additional Study Awards and Bolsters International Exposure for 250 Students

SINGAPORE, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Singapore Management University (SMU) is proud to announce an additional S$2 million gift from Dr Lillyn Teh—her second major contribution following her initial S$3.14 million gift in April 2024. Her new gift is a timely boost for SMU in our silver jubilee year, expanding the Lillyn Teh Endeavour Study Award and launching the Lillyn Teh Global Endeavour Grant, reinforcing SMU’s commitment to breaking financial barriers and enriching student experiences.

Building on her first gift in 2024 — which provides eight non-bonded Study Awards per academic year over five consecutive years (AY2024/2025 to AY2028/2029) —this new gift adds 25 additional non-bonded Study Awards to be disbursed in AY2025/26. Each is valued at S$40,000 (S$10,000 annually over four academic years) to support tuition and study-related expenses.

In addition, 250 students will benefit from a S$4,000 Lillyn Teh Global Endeavour Grant each, allowing them to participate in overseas exposure activities such as international exchange programmes, short-term study programmes, or global internships. The gift expands SMU students’ opportunities for global exposure and enriches their learning experience in Asia and beyond.

A Commitment to Global Exposure

As Singapore’s first university to make global exposure mandatory as a degree requirement, SMU boasts a network of over 220 partner universities in more than 150 cities across 45 countries. This initiative ensures every student participates in an international experience—be it through exchanges, summer schools, overseas internships, or community service projects.

Strengthening Financial Support for All

SMU’s needs-blind admissions policy ensures that financial constraints never stand in the way of talent and student development. In AY2024, over S$10 million was allocated to financial aid programmes, while the refreshed SMU Access Plus scheme now covers full tuition and, for the lowest-income students, provides an annual living allowance.

A Legacy of Giving Back

Dr Lillyn Teh was an educator and taught at two American universities before joining the private sector, where she managed one of the largest US pension funds and was responsible for US$60 billion in global equities. Now happily retired, she attributes her personal success to the strong support and encouragement she received from her parents and is deeply committed to enabling young individuals to reach their full potential.

“Education is the foundation for success and a means to bridge socio-economic gaps. By empowering students with financial support and global exposure, I hope to help shape future leaders who are adaptable, creative, and ready to tackle new challenges,” said Dr Teh.

Strengthening SMU’s Commitment to Student Success

SMU President, Professor Lily Kong expressed gratitude for Dr Teh’s generosity, stating: “Dr Teh’s ongoing support for education underscores the profound impact that philanthropy can have on young lives. Her gifts will provide invaluable opportunities for students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to excel in their studies and gain international experience. Her continued philanthropy reinforces SMU’s mission to nurture leaders who are both locally grounded and globally competitive. This is an investment in our collective future.”

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About SMU

A premier university in Asia, SMU is internationally recognised for its world-class research and distinguished teaching. Established in 2000, SMU’s mission is to generate leading-edge research with global impact and to produce broad-based, creative, and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy. SMU’s education is known for its highly interactive, collaborative, and project-based approach to learning.

Home to over 13,000 students across undergraduate, postgraduate professional and postgraduate research programmes, SMU comprises eight schools: School of Accountancy, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, School of Economics, School of Computing and Information Systems, Yong Pung How School of Law, School of Social Sciences, College of Integrative Studies, and College of Graduate Research Studies. SMU offers a wide range of bachelors’, masters’, and PhD degree programmes in the disciplinary areas associated with its schools, as well as in multidisciplinary combinations of these areas.

SMU emphasises rigorous, high-impact, multi- and interdisciplinary research that addresses Asian issues of global relevance. SMU faculty members collaborate with leading international researchers and universities around the world, as well as with partners in the business community and public sector. SMU’s city campus is a modern facility located in the heart of downtown Singapore, fostering strategic linkages with business, government, and the wider community. www.smu.edu.sg

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Founded in 2013 by a team of music-tech obsessives, PositiveGrid has been breaking boundaries ever since. It specializes in building smart, connected tools like software BIAS and hardware Spark series, an AI-powered amps that inspire individuals to play more than ever, with intuitive features like Smart Jam and Auto Chords, plus an arsenal of gear and immersive sound, that allow player to connect amplifiers with a free mobile app to effortlessly fuel creativity. Today, PositiveGrid has become one of the TOP3 best selling amplifier brands in the North America market with over 500,000 users around the world and was awarded by NAMM show and Guitar World by numerous times.

At its core, PositiveGrid’s SparkAI is an AI-powered tone generator embedded in the company’s highly successful Spark app. Using deep learning, self-supervised learning, and transformer-based models—technologies typically associated with language processing—SparkAI can generate remarkably authentic guitar sounds. By analyzing vast amounts of audio data and understanding the intricate patterns that define a musician’s tone, it brings musicians closer than ever to achieving their ideal sound with minimal effort.

While traditional guitar amplifiers rely heavily on analog circuitry and preset configurations, SparkAI completely reimagines this approach. The system is built to adapt to a musician’s playing style, preferences, and genre, offering a dynamic and personalized experience. Whether you’re an experienced professional or a novice guitarist, SparkAI seamlessly adjusts to suit your needs, making it an incredibly versatile tool in any musician’s kit.

The magic of SparkAI lies in its unique use of self-supervised learning and audio signal processing. The process begins by converting vast amounts of audio data into “tokens”, a technique commonly used in language processing models. These tokens represent various characteristics of sound, such as pitch, tone quality, and texture, which SparkAI then uses to learn the logic of tone creation.

Overall, the success of SparkAI signals a major shift in how AI can be applied to music production. As more and more AI-driven solutions emerge—whether for creating music, generating lyrics, or even mastering tracks—the boundaries of what is possible within the music industry are rapidly expanding. PositiveGrid’s use of AI to replicate and innovate on traditional guitar sounds is just the beginning.