As part of Hyundai Motor’s ‘design management’ initiatives, the automaker recently welcomed masters of supercar design to its Korean offices. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 12 (Korea Bizwire) – As part of Hyundai Motor’s ‘design management’ initiatives, the automaker recently welcomed masters of supercar design to its Korean offices.
According to industry sources, supercar designers including Professor Peter Stevens of the Royal College of Art, Lowie Vermeersch of Italy’s Granstudio, and automobile designer Simon Cox spoke at the corporate headquarters of Hyundai Motor Group. The event emphasized the importance of design to company management.
Stevens was the first speaker. The master designer of iconic cars such as the McLaren F1 and Lotus Elan M100 picked ‘safety’ as the most important consideration when designing supercars.
He emphasized that many design tests should be run to see if a new model is safe. “Before I started to design the McLarenF1, I considered the aerodynamics first, and then moved on to detailed design drawing,” he recalled.
Lowie Vermeersch, who was selected as one of the 25 most influential car designers in 2010, was the second speaker. The designer of Ferrari’s ’458 Italy’ and Maserati’s ‘Birdcage’ mentioned ‘reality’ and ‘harmony with the engineers’.
Lowie Vermeersch, who was selected as one of the 25 most influential car designers in 2010, was the second speaker. The designer of Ferrari’s ’458 Italy’ and Maserati’s ‘Birdcage’ mentioned ‘reality’ and ‘harmony with the engineers’. (Image : Yonhap)
“Although supercars are made for racing, they also have to be safe on ordinary roads. Realistic sketches considering air flow should be drawn,” said Vermeersch. “Instead of making comprises, designers have to expand their horizons through convergence,” he emphasized.
The third speaker was Simon Cox, who designed the Cadillac ‘Cien’ and Infiniti’s ‘Q3′. He advocated ‘tasteful design, design based on functions, and coherent design’, saying that design should support functionality, as technology and function should not follow the form of the vehicle.
Officials at Hyundai Motor were impressed with the lecture prepared by the company, and commented that they could feel that Hyundai and Kia were putting significant efforts into design as well as quality.
Currently, the design teams at Hyundai and Kia Motors are overseen by Peter Schreyer. By recruiting Manfred Fitzgerald from Lamborghini and designer Luc Donkerwolke, Hyundai is making great efforts to improve the design of its vehicles.
By Francine Jung (francine.jung@kobizmedia.co.kr)
