Luc Donckerwolke, who overhauled styling at Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, is returning to South Korea’s biggest automaker in the newly created position of chief creative officer.
Donckerwolke, 55, resigned as Hyundai Motor design chief in March to “focus on his health,” Hyundai said in a statement. He will now lead design communications for Hyundai Motor Group’s brands.
The Belgian designer will collaborate with design centers in the development and design communication for concept vehicles.
“I start this second chapter at Hyundai Motor Group to consolidate creativity,” Donckerwolke said in the statement. “In collaboration with design teams, I will communicate diversity and richness of Group brands’ design, which is not only technologically dynamic but also customer-centric.”
Donckerwolke joined Hyundai Motor from Volkswagen Group in 2015 to lead design at the Hyundai and Genesis brands. He expanded that portfolio in 2018 to become chief design officer of Hyundai Motor Group, taking over the Kia marque as well.
In South Korea, Donckerwolke left his mark on a new generation of vehicles.
At the Hyundai brand, he moved away from a family look that was cultivated in previous generations to make cars and light trucks in different segments look like scaled-up or scaled-down versions of each other.
Instead, Donckerwolke pushed for more emotional, individually tailored styling that better matched the personality and aesthetic of each nameplate.
At Genesis, Donckerwolke helped give the premium brand an independent identity.
Donckerwolke also presided over the opening of an expansive design studio for the Hyundai and Genesis brands at the group’s Namyang technical center south of Seoul. And he helped usher in a new era of digital design work that leverages virtual reality.