Luc Donckerwolke returns to Hyundai design

Former Hyundai Group design boss, Luc Donckerwolke, has returned to oversee styling at the South Korean auto giant just over six months after he quit the car-maker.

The Belgian, who also walked away from the Volkswagen Group in 2015 after heading up design for brands such as Bentley, Lamborghini and SEAT, will now return to the Hyundai Group in the role of chief creative officer and head of design communications at the Korean car-maker's R&D hub in Russelsheim, Germany.

Following his arrival at Hyundai back in 2016, Donckerwolke was soon groomed as the replacement for former Hyundai Group design chief Peter Schreyer.

Attributed to styling the all-new Genesis models, Donckerwolke has also been instrumental in tweaking Hyundai and Kia design for the latest generation of vehicles across both brands.

In his new German-based job, the well-respected designer has been tasked with helping grow the Genesis brand while also playing a key role in the new pure-electric IONIQ brand.

Both Hyundai and Genesis design will continue to be led by Sangyup Lee, while Karim Habib remains responsible for Kia design.

Before arriving at Hyundai, Donckerwolke had a successful spell at the Volkswagen Group where he designed the Bentley Flying Spur, Audi R8 Le Mans concept, Lamborghini Murcielago and Gallardo, to name just a few.

It was at Bentley where Donckerwolke got into a public spat with the then new Lincoln Continental designer David Woodhouse after he noticed striking similarities with the US luxury sedan and ‘his’ Bentley Flying Spur.

Launching a glorious sarcastic tirade against Woodhouse on Facebook, Donckerwolke asked the Lincoln designer: "Do you want us to send you the product tooling?" 

Just a few months later Donckerwolke walked, but it's not known if the Lincoln issue was related.