MAN IN BLACK

FROM AUDI TO KIA, THIS IS HOW THE INIMITABLE PETER SCHREYER SHOOK UP CAR DESIGN

- SIMRAN RASTOGI

There’s no pretentiousness here. You sort of expect a designer, of automobiles or otherwise, to make a statement with their personal style. But in Peter Schreyer’s case, Hyundai Motor Group’s president of Design Management, the all-black look is purely functional, born from needing to live out of a suitcase. Plus, it can be argued that it forces attention back to the art, rather than the artist, no? Though, when the art includes the likes of the original Audi TT, the reinterpretation of the iconic VW Beetle, and countless Kia and Hyundai models that have smashed previous perceptions of the Korean brands, you realise personal style is superfluous. And now, along with Karim Habib, head of Kia design, Schreyer is redefining Kia once again, as the brand reinvents itself for the coming mobility revolution.

So how (and why) did Peter Schreyer, at the envious position of heading Volkswagen exterior design, leave it all behind and head to Korea to try and shape a brand of massmarket cars?

The early years