A jury of 27 journalists from the French automotive industry selected the Mr Luc Donckerwolke, President and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Hyundai Motor Group, "Man of the Year" for 2022 of the French publication Le Journal de l'Automobile.
With this award, the jury not only recognizes the success and innovation of the Hyundai Motor Group, but also celebrates the contribution of Mr. Luc Donckerwolke to the Group's achievements. Mr. Donckerwolke won the title for his revolutionary design of the Group's portfolio of car brands; Hyundai, Kia and Genesis.
"I am honoured to be named Man of the Year for 2022. I would like to express my thanks to the jury and my team," said Donckerwolke. "Throughout my career, I have worked for many companies and car brands, but I am very happy to leave an excellent example of my work at Hyundai Motor Group. However, this achievement would not have been possible without the hard work, creativity and perseverance of my colleagues."
Mr. Donckerwolke introduced Hyundai Motor's "Sensuous Sportiness" design language for 2018, giving each Hyundai model a particularly distinctive look. By finding harmony between proportions, architecture, style and technology, he proved that car design can create emotional value. His design philosophy has since proven to be a complete success, with the IONIQ 6 and IONIQ 5 Hyundai to win the award "World Car Design of the Year" the 2023 and the 2022 respectively, while other Group models have also received awards from many organisations.
Mr Donckerwolke's 30-year career as a car designer has enabled him to gain global experience working for many well-known brands including Bentley, Lamborghini, Skoda, Seat and Audi. He joined Hyundai Motor in 2016 and became the Group's Chief Creative Officer in 2020, overseeing the design direction and strategy for the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands of the Hyundai Motor Group. Mr. Donckerwolke's primary responsibility is to oversee the creative aspects of the Group's brands as well as to enhance their identity.
Le Journal de l'Automobile's "Man of the Year" award, inaugurated in 1981, honours an industry personality who has made a decisive mark on the automotive industry in the past year.
