Over-Styled Cars Are Quickly Forgotten, Says Design Guru Donckerwolke

We live in an interesting time for car design. Some brands are going for ultra-minimalism, like Tesla, while others are opting for more exaggerated vehicles. BMW comes to mind, for example. Both extremes stem from the desire to make brands stand out from the crowd, especially in a hotly contested global market. Upstart American and Chinese EV companies are desperately fighting to establish a name for themselves, and the fastest way to do that is through bold, over-the-top design. However, Hyundai Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke says that such extreme-looking cars are interesting at first but lack staying power, as they’re too much for the senses.

“There are always trends in design, and by having so many newcomers on the market, they try to find their positioning, and automatically, design is one of their key differentiators,” Donckerwolke told The Drive at the Seoul Mobility Show, referring to new automakers in China. “Usually, these are exaggerated efforts to differentiate themselves from others. At the same time, those efforts tend to equalize everybody else because everyone is trying really hard.”

Instead, Donckerwolke says it’s best to focus on a single, cohesive design language. Overly aggressive-looking cars overwhelm your eyes, so they might look good or at least interesting the first time you see them, but they’ll wear you down, and you’ll eventually become numb to them. That’s something Donckerwolke wants to avoid by penning simpler, more understated cars, like the recently updated Hyundai Ioniq 6 and brand-spanking-new Ioniq 9.

“So if you are confident in your designs, and if you are focused, you have better chances to stand out. In a world where there are lots of vehicles on the road with enough design elements to make three or four cars, it’s important to realize that the more you try, the less you are going to live long,” Donckerwolke added. “Because you are going to create something very impactful but very short-lived. You are saturating the senses, so at first it may look striking, but the second reaction is trying to escape the saturation of your senses. This is where puristic design is better.”

If anyone would know, it’s Donckerwolke, who’s penned some of the simplest yet prettiest cars of the modern era. He was the man behind the Lamborghini Murciélago—one of the least visually offensive V12 Lambos ever—as well as the Bentley Continental GT and even the adorable Audi A2. Simple cars always age better, too. If you look at models like the Jaguar XF, L322 Range Rover, or Donckerwolke’s own work, they’re all elegant cars without extreme features demanding to be noticed, and they still look fantastic. Zigging toward simplicity, while other automakers boldly zag, should keep Hyundai’s cars looking fresh even as new players enter the realm.

Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com

The post Over-Styled Cars Are Quickly Forgotten, Says Design Guru Donckerwolke appeared first on The Drive.