At the recent Automotive News Centennial Awards in Turin, Hyundai Motor Group brought home numerous accolades.
Let’s start with Luc Donckerwolke, President, Chief Design Officer, and Chief Creative Officer. Under his stewardship, Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis have become rolling expressions of futuristic ambition.
Donckerwolke’s résumé has everything from Skoda and Audi to Lamborghini, SEAT, and Bentley, before landing at Hyundai in 2016. It wasn’t long before his creative fingerprints were all over the Group’s design language.
In his words, “This recognition showcases Hyundai Motor Group’s belief in design as a driving force for innovation and identity.”
Beside him was Peter Schreyer, a design elder statesman whose influence is probably parked outside your house right now. You know that Kia “tiger nose” grille? That’s his.
Schreyer joined Kia in 2006 after cut-and-polish stints at Audi and Volkswagen, and gave the South Korean brand a bold new identity at a time when most people didn’t give their cars a second glance.
When he became President and Chief Design Officer of the Hyundai Motor Group in 2013, Schreyer’s impact deepened. Hyundai’s SUVs were reborn, Genesis gained swagger, and a global audience started whispering the once-unthinkable: “Hyundai looks… cool.”
Even in retirement, Schreyer hasn’t drifted far from the sketchpad. He’s now mentoring students through the Group’s partnership with the Royal College of Art, shaping the hands that will draw the future.
“It is an incredible honour,” he said of the award, “but it belongs to the many creative and dedicated teams I’ve had the privilege to work with.”
Completing the triumvirate was Giorgetto Giugiaro. If Donckerwolke and Schreyer are the torchbearers of today’s vision, Giugiaro is the man who lit the flame. His 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe Concept, with its crisp wedge lines and avant-garde profile, turned tides. It remains a spiritual benchmark for the brand, revisited and revived as Hyundai continues to honour its past while sprinting into the electric age.
KC Crain, President and CEO of Crain Communications, summed up the mood best: “Peter Schreyer and Luc Donckerwolke have helped redefine what modern automotive design means. Their bold creativity and leadership have elevated the role of design as a strategic force.”
The next time you glance at a Hyundai or marvel at the lines of a Genesis, you’ll see the handiwork of visionaries who have made it their life’s mission to blend form with future, style with sustainability.
Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on YouTube and on TikTok!
