Driven by Hunger and Challenge

Lee studied the indigenous cultural elements of each country and lived like a local. Even while working at international car companies, he always went by his birth name, Lee SangYup, to display his Korean identity. ¡°I might¡¯ve had better drawing skills than others during my study abroad, but I had zero knowledge of automotive culture,¡± he said. ¡°So thinking I had nothing to lose, I started to learn everything from the bottom up, and thankfully, a mentor was there for me every step of the way who had a good impression of me and my attitude. I mimicked the accents—and even jokes and clothes—of these multinational and multicultural mentors in trying to make it on my own. After a while, I molded my character into this unique form, resulting in an ability or trait that might be lacking in the designers I dearly respect and look up to.¡±

Leaving Korea at age 23, Lee said he was driven to succeed due to fears that he was a late bloomer, in addition to a sense of inferiority stemming from his perceived lack of knowledge compared to his peers. He said, ¡°Even today when I see European designers, I often hear their stories of how they dreamed of becoming car designers by looking at their fathers¡¯ Ferraris. My father didn¡¯t even own a car, not even a small one. But I truly believed that such a dream car can be born in Korea.¡±

Designing Cars That Promote Korea

Returning to Korea after 25 years abroad to join Hyundai Motor, Lee assumed responsibility for a wide spectrum of cars from luxury models like the Genesis to mid- to large-size vehicles. ¡°Ultimately, an excellent design is not on a glaring pretty car on display at a motor show. Rather, a great car harmonizes with a specific country¡¯s landscape for five to ten years and exudes beauty even when seen on a street or alley,¡± he said.

The cars Lee has designed in his motherland are literally infused with a Korean quality. The Sonata, for which he took on an exclusive design role, has been one of the country¡¯s signature cars with the nickname the ¡°people¡¯s car.¡± Reborn through Lee, the latest Sonata model offers a peek at contemporary Korea, Lee said, adding, ¡°Renowned and luxury brands and brands for the masses alike all have design-based roots. The roots of the Genesis and Sonata are clearly based in Seoul. In Seoul, a modern city and time-honored tradition coexist amid adjoining broad plazas and narrow alleys, thus a unique harmony of disparate themes becomes the source of creativity. This is a blessing for a designer.¡±

A designer¡¯s meticulous care breathes life into automobile design. © Lee SangYup

Best Project, Best Team

Lee SangYup is a team player. Wherever he goes, he never works alone. At Hyundai, he works with Luc Donckerwolke, a designer, boss and coworker whom Lee said he respects the most, at the center table while leaving their own desks behind. ¡°When talking about design, it doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s the boss. Of course, if an intense debate goes nowhere, Donckerwolke makes the final call, but those hours of positive back-and-forth arguments are when I get the most creative as a designer. I¡¯m so lucky to work with such a partner with great passion for design and someone I respect,¡± Lee said.

Hyundai Design Center in Korea has more than 400 designers, while the carmaker¡¯s branches in the U.S., Europe, China, India and Japan each have their own design centers. As head of design, Lee closely listens to the opinions of each and every designer. ¡°Lifestyle and manner of conversation vary from one country to another. Thus a designer capable of changing even his own vision, depending on the market situation, is naturally more welcomed than that one who solely prioritizes his own vision,¡± he said.

Fast Adaptation Essential for Success

Typically, a car model enters mass production about three years after approval of the initial design, and is sold on the market for three to ten years. The most advanced technology used in the design stage is outdated by the time a consumer purchases the car. Lee demands from himself and his coworkers a design that accurately captures and leads a market¡¯s trends, saying, ¡°Even brands with 100 years of history are evolving amid new technology and ideas, so everyone is essentially at the same starting line. In the past, people rode horses as a means of transportation but that has simply become a sport now. Similarly, a car is evolving from a space for drivers into one for lifestyle. We designers must intuitively identify the needs of customers to stay at the frontline of change.¡±