Genesis lead designer abruptly quits

Thursday, 30 April 2020

Luc Donckerwolke has left his position as chief design officer at the Hyundai Motor Group after just two years.

According to a release, Donckerwolke left due to 'personal reasons,' after creating the gorgeous G80, G90 and GV80 models for Genesis as well as the Hyundai Kona and Palisade SUVs.

He came from a 23-year stint at various Volkswagen Group brands, where he penned the Lamborghini Murcielago and Gallardo as well as the Bentley Flying Spur, among others. Five years ago, Donckerwolke left VAG without giving any reason, at least to the public.

Luc Donckerwolke, responsible for the G80, G90 and GV80 Genesis models as well as the Hyundai Kona and Palisade SUVs, has left the South Korean maker.

Hyundai hasn't announced a successor to Donckerwolke's role but SangYup Lee will continue as head of design for Hyundai and Genesis while ex-Infiniti designer, Karim Habib, will be responsible for Kia.

**READ MORE:

The GV80 ushered in a new design language for the luxury brand, including split headlights.

* Genesis' new G80 breaks lockdown

* More details emerge on Hyundai's ute

* Kona Electric becomes the first-ever EV crash tested in Australia

* Does new Genesis GV80 concept signal the death of headlights?

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

The recent GV80 SUV ushered in a new design language for Genesis, including split headlights. At the time, Donckerwolke was keen to stress the new lights should not be seen as the 'eyes' of the car because the way they will change as autonomous technology becomes more prevalent.

“They are not eyes because they will evolve,' Donckerwolke said.

“We are in the phase of changing where the lights are technological elements that have a function. That function will certainly disappear in the future because when you have an autonomous car you don't need lights any more.”

The G80 fastback that debuted earlier this year continued the 'two-line' theme, seen in places like the headlights, taillights, and character lines running across the car. It looks damn good too, making the machine difficult to mistake for any other brand.