Former BMW designer Chris Chapman has been appointed as Hyundai's Chief Designer, based at its design center in Irvine, California. He will be responsible for both advanced and production design for the Korean brand and replaces Phil Zak, who left the company early in 2011 to return to GM. He will report to SukGeun Oh, Head of Design, Senior Executive Vice President Hyundai Design Center.
Hyundai is known to have been looking to fill the position for some time. Following the extraordinary, design-led success of sister brand Kia under the tenure of Peter Schreyer, Chapman's appointment is a clear move to similarly improve Hyundai's design strategy.
"With over 22 years of experience in the industry working on esteemed automotive brands, Chris provides a level of talent that will help further our design portfolio," said SukGeun Oh.
"We are thrilled to have Christopher Chapman as chief designer for Hyundai and look forward to continuing the strong momentum of our vehicle designs."
Chapman graduated from Art Center in 1989, when he joined Isuzu. His UX-1 concept car won Best Concept at the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show. The following year he joined BMW DesignworksUSA.
During his time at BMW – both at DesignworksUSA and in Munich – he was responsible for the X5 SAV, X Coupe concept, 1-Series (E87), CS1 concept, 1-series coupe, X5, X3 and Z4. His most recent position was Director of Transportation Design.
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