Hyundai: 'Boring' Russian doll styling to end

Hyundai new head of design, Luc Donckerwolke, has damned the Korean car-maker's current approach of scaling up or down its brand's familiar design language as "boring".

Announcing in an interview at the recent New York motor show that change was needed, the former Bentley and Lamborghini designer said he would overhaul Hyundai's design philosophy.

"We need to evolve," the Belgian designer told Australian journalists at the US auto show. "We need to give each model its own personality."

Donckerwolke claims he was inspired to take a more radical approach after living and working in South Korea, where Hyundai and its sister brand Kia dominate domestic sales.

"Imagine 65 per cent of the cars on the road being from two different producers. If the cars have the same design, I mean you are creating a really boring landscape. I don't want to do that," says the design chief, who also heads up the car-maker's premium brand, Genesis.

In the future, according to Donckewolke, Hyundai's design team will create products that are specific to the segment it competes in.

The next generation of Hyundai design will also be more tailored to the customer.

"It's a bit too early to talk about it but at the end of this year or the beginning of next year there will be some cars that will show how we will not have a need for similar style," Donckerwolke told journalists.

In stark contrast to the approach taken by Hyundai, Donckerwolke says the approach he and his designers will take to Genesis will be more consistent.

The design boss says limited volume is the reason why Hyundai's premium new brand will stay loyal to the new styling language laid out by the stunning Essentia concept car -- a car that, incidentally, Donckerwolke wants to reach showrooms.

"Every brand [needs] an icon. And I think that would serve that purpose," said the former Lamborghini Murcielago and Gallardo designer, who took the opportunity to give modern supercar designs a kicking.

"If you compare to the '50s, '60s and '70s where supercars were the trendsetters but that has changed today. If you look at a super sports car design, it’s certainly not a trendsetting discipline. I find it’s a shame. I think that it’s a bit easy, it’s all about visual aggression," says Donckerwolke.

Genesis' new design chief also criticised the tactics used by both Lexus and Infiniti to raise their brand profiles using deliberately provocative and polarising styling.

"I find that making a really provocative statement is a bit counterproductive because you are creating something ... at one point you have to go back because you are polarising ... you are creating attention, but at the same time you are ageing faster."

Donckerwolke says that daring designs also risk reaching "saturation" point where demand trails off. He said chasing provocative car design is a challenge in itself as you are creating the expectation for more.

Admitting the Essentia coupe was heavily inspired by the beautiful 1964 Ferrari 275 Lusso, Donckerwolke said future Genesis design is best described as "controlled drama".

"It's not vulgar, it's not excessive. Genesis will not be loud -- we are self-confident, we are a design-driven brand and we believe in good taste and harmony."

Unshackled from the heritage he had to battle against and work with at Bentley and Lamborghini, Donckewolke says there is "less inertia" at Genesis.

"We are young and we don’t want to jail ourselves. At the same time, we need consistency, we need the DNA, but we have the great advantage that we are creating the lineage now, which means also responsibility."

Donckerwolke says he will also incorporate traditional Korean design elements into all future Genesis interiors.

"We are bringing tranquillity inside the car. We have what we call the Beauty of Emptiness, which is the beauty of the white space."

He admitted that work is already well underway to expanding the Genesis line-up to include three sedans, two SUVs and a coupe, plus a new pure-electric model.

However, Donckerwolke admits the big challenge is ensuring the flagship (likely to be a replacement for the current G90) is right for Genesis, declaring "a luxury brand that doesn’t take care of this flagship is having a problem".