Hyundai Motor Group established a new global design division and named a chief design officer, the company said Friday.
The Global Design Division will oversee design for the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, with Luc Donckerwolke, president and chief creative officer at Hyundai Motor Group, serving as its chief design officer. The new division will manage the automaker’s design work for future electric vehicles, purpose-built vehicles, robotics and advanced air mobility.
“In my 32-year career as a car designer, my achievements were often enabled by my organization’s teamwork,” Donckerwolke said in a statement. “I believe it is my role to create an environment in which designers can be creative and lead transformations.”
Hyundai, Genesis and Kia, however, will retain separate design leadership to ensure product differentiation among the brands, the press release says.
SangYup Lee, executive vice president and head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design, and Karim Habib, executive vice president and head of Kia Global Design, will spearhead design for their respective brands.
Likewise, Ilhun Yoon, vice president at Genesis, will focus on developing unique designs for Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury brand, at the automaker's new Genesis Design Center. Yoon previously worked on the Genesis X Trilogy EV concept and Genesis' overall design vision.
Hyundai also appointed Simon Loasby, vice president, to head the Hyundai Design Center. Loasby previously led design projects for Hyundai's Ioniq EVs and high-performance N brand.
Hyundai Motor Group recently made headlines for its vehicle designs, including the restyled Sante Fe SUV, and models launched by the automaker’s Ioniq EV brand and Genesis.
Hyundai’s current EV lineup includes the Ioniq 5 and 6. But Hyundai Motor Group plans to launch 17 new electric models by 2030.
In April, Donckerwolke received the “Disruptor Designer of the Year” award at Newsweek’s World’s Greatest Auto Disruptors, which recognized design innovations in the auto industry across nine categories. The Newsweek award recognizes car designers that are making transformative changes in the industry.
Before joining Hyundai, Donckerwolke worked for several Volkswagen Group brands, including Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Seat and Skoda.
