Car Design Review X: SangYup Lee, Hyundai
By Car Design News2024-02-21T08:00:00
Hyundai’s SangYup Lee shares his personal approach to design in this exclusive Car Design Review X interview
Design is, in a way, a weapon within a carmaker, depending on how you use it. Design can be a styling exercise or it can be embedded deep into the engineering. These are two very different approaches.
I liken it to a knife used in the kitchen and one used in war. Use it in the kitchen, it is a chef’s knife. Use it in war, it becomes a warrior’s sword. To my mind, the scope of design at Hyundai is greater than at any other carmaker. There are huge challenges facing us, but at the same time it is so much fun. In 30 years, I have never experienced such a depth of thinking in terms of the design process.
It bodes well for us in the future as we transition into a mobility business rather than just selling a well-engineered, beautiful car. Being more software-driven is inevitable, which means a whole new competitive landscape. We must compete with software companies such as Google. The scope today is…