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Old 21st June 2015, 18:44   #1
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Designer Luc Donckerwolke recruited by Hyundai

I'll be honest, this is the first time I've heard the name Luc Donckerwolke, but his past experience has all been in companies most people might be familiar with - he has worked for Lamborghini, Bentley & Seat, all 3 being sub-brands of the VW Group.



Among the models he helped design are the Lamborghini Murcielago, Lamborghini Gallardo and the Bentley Continental FS. Its official that he has joined the Hyundai Motor Group which includes both Hyundai & Kia brands of cars. Current head of design Peter Schreyer is said to retire in 2017 and Luc is rumoured to be his successor-in-training. There is another rumour that Luc will collaborate with former BMW M-Division specialist engineer Albert Biermann to build better dynamic cars.

My personal opinion is that the models he has helped design so far, are mere incremental changes over their previous versions, this might be because Lamborghini & Bentley are age-old brands & need to retain their design heritage, maybe Hyundai is the perfect company for him to add his own design elements.

Additional Links :http://blog.caranddriver.com/bentley...eter-schreyer/

http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/artic...ey-design-head
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Old 21st June 2015, 22:20   #2
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re: Designer Luc Donckerwolke recruited by Hyundai

Wasn't he the Argentinian guy who designed the Murcielago? If he is on board with Hyundai, we can expect sharp and good looking cars(not that they are ugly now).
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Old 21st June 2015, 22:49   #3
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re: Designer Luc Donckerwolke recruited by Hyundai

The Belgian was behind the Diablo, Murcielago and Gallardo. Expect some sharp looking cars to come out of the Korean stable. Hyundai seems determined to reach bigger heights. I won't be surprised if Hyundai ends being the largest car manufacturer in another decade.
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Old 22nd June 2015, 14:40   #4
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Re: Designer Luc Donckerwolke recruited by Hyundai

Quote:
Originally Posted by Manoj2268 View Post
Wasn't he the Argentinian guy who designed the Murcielago? If he is on board with Hyundai, we can expect sharp and good looking cars(not that they are ugly now).
Correct, it seems he was born in Peru though Belgian by roots. As I said before it's pretty difficult to completely change the designs of brands like Bentley & Lamborghini, all a designer can do are minor adjustments to lights, grille and interiors. The evidence of this is visible when one looks at the 80's models like Diablo or Countach, Lamborghini's have hardly evolved due to the need to keep them aerodynamic. Even a Bentley Continental has changed very little in a span of 15 years. This maybe why designers are finding that companies like Hyundai would give them a blank canvas in comparison, hence more scope to implement their ideas.

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Originally Posted by The Rationalist View Post
The Belgian was behind the Diablo, Murcielago and Gallardo. Expect some sharp looking cars to come out of the Korean stable. Hyundai seems determined to reach bigger heights. I won't be surprised if Hyundai ends being the largest car manufacturer in another decade.
Hyundai Motor Company & Kia Motor Corp., for all logical purposes, are today European car manufacturers. You have their design & research centre in Russelsheim Germany, factories in Czech Republic & Turkey, Head of Design, VP of Engineering, assistant designers & engineers all coming from the most elite positions in the best of German car manufacturers. The Korean HQ is just there to receive profits, pump funds to procure talent and handle their other divisions such as ship-building, steel & engineering. Each time Hyundai replies to critics with the biggest of moves and with the current design team they make other Asian car-makers look like a joke.

The changes are taking place with the latest advert of Hyundai Sonata which impressed me, I'd posted the video elsewhere. It spoke of usage of 51% ultra high-strength steel, safety ring structure for cabin solidity, usage of full length lower-bay cladding, suspension tuning for stability at all speeds and road conditions & developing haptics & tactility like button press, door shut and steering feel. They've gone back to the basics of what a car should really be.

Last edited by dark.knight : 22nd June 2015 at 14:53.
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Old 17th May 2016, 15:18   #5
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Hyundai Poaches Another Bentley Designer

Hyundai Poaches Another Bentley Designer

After snatching Bentley’s head of design Luc Donckerwolke, Hyundai has once again recruited a designer from the British brand.

Hyundai has hired a new vice president of styling, SangYup Lee, who was formerly the head of exterior and advanced design at Bentley. At Hyundai, Lee will be in charge of design strategies and lead design innovation for both the interior and exteriors of Hyundai and Genesis vehicles.

“The innovative design and surprising growth of Hyundai Motor has always made me proud as a Korean while I worked overseas. Now, I want to contribute in creating world-leading automobile designs for both Hyundai Motor and the Genesis brand,” said vice-president SangYup Lee.

Lee will focus his efforts on the newly formed Genesis luxury brand, starting with a clean sheet design to give the new lineup of luxury cars an iconic look. Previously, Lee has worked with Pininfarina, Porsche Design and General Motors. One of his most iconic designs is the Camaro Concept used in the Transformers movie franchise.


Quote:
Late 2015, Hyundai hired an ex-Volkswagen designer to replace its current style guru, Peter Schreyer.

The Korean brand had extended an “offer of a lifetime” to Luc Donckerwolke, the former Volkswagen group designer who was working with Bentley before joining Hyundai.

In November 2015, he was appointed to lead Hyundai Motor Group's Genesis luxury brand from 2016 and will work together with Hyundai-Kia's chief designer Peter Schreyer.

Before his time with the British brand, Donckerwolke spent much of his 23-years at VW working for Audi, though he is also responsible for the designs of the Lamborghini Murcielago and Lamborghini Gallardo.
Source:
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...-designer.html

Last edited by cbatrody : 17th May 2016 at 15:23.
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Old 17th May 2016, 23:52   #6
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Re: Hyundai Poaches Another Bentley Designer

With this Hyundai Motor Group has the most star-studded line-up of designers, more than perhaps any other company has ever had. One has to admit that they are investing far, far more money on manpower acquisition than any automobile manufacturer at present and that is including the big three.

Such investments can never quite go wrong. They do not enjoy the same faith from people as brands like Honda and Toyota take for granted as they sit with their legs up in the air but now I think all the pieces are in place for the tables to be turned.
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Old 30th April 2020, 10:21   #7
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Re: Designer Luc Donckerwolke recruited by Hyundai

Hyundai Motor Chief Designer Luc Donckerwolke steps down

The 55-year old Belgian car designer who overhauled the design and styling at Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, has resigned due to personal reasons, says the report. As per the report, Sang Yup Lee will step in Donckerwolke's shoes and will lead the design for Hyundai and Genesis brands whereas Karim Habib will continue leading the sister brand, Kia Motors.

Quote:
New Delhi: The famous Belgian car designer, Luc Donckerwolke, on Wednesday stepped down from his role as design chief at Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, as per a report by the Automotive News Europe.

The report quoting an internal note said, he resigned due to personal reasons and it becomes effective from Wednesday (April 29, 2020).

"It’s been an honor and privilege to contribute to the shaping of the future of Hyundai, Kia and Genesis”, Donckerwolke said in a statement. He further added, “Their audacious and progressive attitude has allowed me to push the boundaries and challenge the status quo.”

Donckerwolke joined Hyundai in 2015 after leaving the Volkswagen Group and has been instrumental in shaping up the design theme of Genesis, their luxury car brand. He is the mind behind the design of Kona, Palisade, the G80 and G90 sedans, as well as the GV80 SUV.

He worked closely with Peter Schreyer who started the design revolution at Hyundai. Last year Schreyer stepped back from day-to-day duties at the design studios but he still guides the automaker's long-term design vision.
Donckerwolke started his career with Peugeot in 1990. Later he moved to Volkswagen Group, where he penned the first-gen Skoda Octavia and Fabia. He is also responsible for Audi A4 Avant, R8 Le Mans racer and A2, as well as the Lamborghini Diablo VT, Murcielago and Gallardo.

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