The former shipbuilding division head will replace Min Keh-sik, who had led the firm for the past 10 years.
Kim, 57, will oversee management as vice chairman and chief executive, alongside Lee Jai-seong, who became president and chief executive in 2009, Hyundai said.
A graduate of Seoul National University, Kim entered the shipbuilding firm in 1975 and held a variety of posts in the fields of design, research and business planning.