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On Monday, Hyundai revealed that Luc Donckerwolke, the executive vice president of its design center, will take over as the chief design officer, succeeding Peter Schreyer. This transition will grant Donckerwolke creative authority over the design strategies for the Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands.
Donckerwolke, known for designing the Lamborghini Murcielago, will lead the design efforts for Hyundai’s much-anticipated “exotic” sports car project, which Thomas Schemera confirmed to a Dutch publication last Thursday.
“Behind the scenes, we are diligently working on a ‘halo model’—a flagship for the N brand,” Schemera stated in an interview with AutoRAI. “This is set to be a remarkable vehicle, something truly unexpected from Hyundai, and something very exotic.”
In January, Donckerwolke confirmed the car’s development, following comments from Yang Woong Chul, Hyundai’s vice president of research and development. He revealed that the unnamed supercar will largely be electric but will still incorporate an internal combustion engine. Schemera mentioned uncertainty regarding whether the car would be a limited edition or not.
“We cannot currently confirm or deny if it will be a limited-run model. Regardless, it will fit within the super sports category. If you think about the Hyundai RM16, you’ll get an idea of its capabilities,” Schemera concluded.
Hyundai’s RM16 N was a mid-engined sports hatchback based on the Veloster, unveiled in 2016, and closely tied to the RN30 concept. Mid-engined test mules resembling the Veloster have been spotted as recently as June 2018, with one filmed at the Nürburgring.
It remains to be seen how much the mid-engined Veloster or any similar models will share with Hyundai’s unnamed supercar. However, since Hyundai has confirmed that this new car will carry the N brand designation, it appears that the Genesis Essentia (which the automaker hopes to produce) will not be included in the mix.
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