Hyundai Motor appoints new Chief Designer in Europe

Hyundai Motor Company has announced that its new Chief Designer in Hyundai Design Europe will be Eduardo Ramírez and he will assume the role starting 1st of June. In his new position, Ramírez will head the Europe design department with the goal to enhance the company’s position in the changing global market for automotive design. He will emphasise the strategy of delivering “customer experience design innovation” and the building of a unique customer value proposition that sets Hyundai out from its rivals.

In this case, Ramírez comes to the position with the experience required for the job. After graduating from Coventry University and Royal College of Art, he worked as exterior designer for Audi and became a part of General Motors. “I believe in the power of design to signal ways forward and I am committed to inspire and empower our designers to think boldly and deliver the answers that will spark the emotions of our customers in the future,” he said.

Since his employment at the Hyundai Design Europe Center in 2007, Ramírez has been at the forefront of the company’s significant designs that are targeted toward the European market such as the i10, KONA, Bayon, and Santa Fe.

Speaking on the announcement of the appointments, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai Genesis Global Design, SangYup Lee, said, “I look forward to witnessing a stronger and fresher Hyundai Design Europe under Eduardo. He is the perfect fit to the position as he understands the design direction of Hyundai which prioritizes customer values, and he is the one to realise design that can satisfy different types of customers’ lifestyles while valuing Hyundai’s heritage.”

In a separate development, the company recently appointed Manfred Harrer, a former Apple executive, as the Executive Vice President and Head of the Genesis & Performance Development Tech Unit within the Research & Development (R&D) Division of Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation. Bringing 25 years of automotive and technology experience from companies like Audi, BMW Group, Porsche, and Apple Inc., Harrer’s appointment aims to bolster Hyundai Motor Group’s R&D competitiveness, particularly in developing Genesis products and enhancing the performance characteristics of Hyundai and Kia vehicles as they transition to electrification.