Hyundai Motor and Kia are strengthening their future design capabilities.
In response to the rapidly changing mobility environment and to lead future mobility design trends, Hyundai and Kia are restructuring their design organization.
This reflects their willingness to lead the next-generation mobility market, encompassing not only future electric vehicles but also PBVs, robotics, and AAM, by creating a system that can attempt bold and innovative designs.
To this end, Hyundai and Kia have consolidated their previously separated design centers into a single organization called the ‘Global Design Headquarters.’ Additionally, they have established two new departments under the Global Design Headquarters: Hyundai Genesis Global Design and Kia Global Design.
Furthermore, under the Hyundai Genesis Global Design Unit, two center-level organizations have been reorganized: the Hyundai Design Center and the Genesis Design Center. Particularly, the Genesis Design Office, which was previously dedicated to the design of Genesis-brand vehicles, has been elevated to the Genesis Design Center to strengthen its position as a global luxury brand.
With this, Hyundai and Kia have laid a solid foundation to further reinforce the design identities of each brand. Hyundai is developing vehicle designs based on the principle of ‘Sensuous Sportiness,’ Kia is guided by ‘Opposites United,’ and the Genesis brand follows the direction of ‘Athletic Elegance.’
Meanwhile, in conjunction with this organizational restructuring, Luke Donkerwolke has been appointed as the Chief Design Officer (CDO), overseeing the overall design direction of Hyundai and Kia while also retaining his role as Chief Creative Officer (CCO).
Additionally, Lee Sang-yeob, who was the head of the Hyundai Design Center, has been appointed to lead the Hyundai Genesis Global Design Unit, while Karim Habib has been appointed as the head of Kia Global Design. Both will be responsible for establishing future design directions and differentiation for their respective brands.
Moreover, Simon Losby and Yoon Il-hun have been appointed as the heads of the Hyundai Design Center and Genesis Design Center, respectively.
Luke Donkerwolke, head of the Global Design Headquarters at Hyundai and Kia, stated, “I expect this organizational restructuring in the design sector to serve as an opportunity for Hyundai and Kia to attempt new and innovative designs for future mobility. We aim to expand customer empathy through various design challenges in the rapidly changing mobility market.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr