Hyundai Motor America design chief Piaskowski resigns

[Sal Collaziano]

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hyundai



The Genesis Coupe isn't even out yet and the primary pen behind it is leaving the company. Joel Piaskowski, Hyundai Motor America's chief designer since 2003, is walking out the door.

Besides his work on the upcoming Genesis Coupe, Piaskowski is also known as being the driving force behind Hyundai's HCD concepts like the Hellion (above), and has been credited with beginning to develop a consistent design language among the automaker's vehicles.

For an interesting interview on car design featuring Piaskowski, General Motors' Ed Welburn, Franz von Holzhausen (formerly of Mazda, now with Tesla), and the New York Times' Phil Patton, check out this video on the Charlie Rose show by clicking here.

Piaskowski's tenure ends at the end of this month, and there is no word yet on where he is expected to end up.

[Source: Automotive News, Sub Req.]Hyundai Motor America design chief Piaskowski resigns originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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[Gold Z]

What is wrong with Hyundai? They are the laughing stock of the industry when it comes to retaining key people. What is the problem? Is Hyundai really that hard to work for?

 

[Simonwpb]

If anyone should have retained his talents perhaps it should have been GM! If Mr. Piaskowski was instrumental in the underlying design concepts of the Genesis we owners have much to thank him for.

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Hyundai’s U.S. chief designer Joel Piaskowski is resigning from the company after six years of employment, according to reports. Piaskowski, 40, oversaw the design of a wide assortment of models, including the current Hyundai Veracruz and Genesis.

Piaskowski began his career at GM, where he worked for almost 13 years. There he spent time with various design studios within the company, from Pontiac to Opel. In 2003, Piaskowski moved to Irvine, CA, and became the chief designer for Hyundai.

No reason was made public for Piaskowski’s departure, and a Hyundai spokesperson told AN that Piaskowski's future plans are unknown.

Source: Automotive News

 

[ConceptVBS]

5 chief execs get replaced in 5 years.

I'll guess that he had a scuffle with his Korean bosses over the design direction at Hyundai.

 

[Sonata2009]

Ummm, on the other hand, maybe, unlike us, they don't see the wisdom of paying big salaries and bonuses to those that don't meet the goals!

I don't think the Korean government would bail them out either!

 

[Poopsicle]

That goodness. Hyundai needs better designed cars with the exception of the Genesis and Tiburon.

 

[Tufast]

What is wrong with Hyundai? They are the laughing stock of the industry when it comes to retaining key people. What is the problem? Is Hyundai really that hard to work for?

Hyundai is that hard to work for. At least that's what I've heard from Montgomery employees & from articles about American managers getting along with upper Korean mgt. But, that is also the reason they have made a turn around in just 10yrs that took the 3 Japanese brands twice as long to do. That is also why we are able to drive such awe inspiring quality vehicles from the Korean auto manufacturer.

Hyundai does what's in their best interest I would imagine & their decisions have proven to give us, the consumer some really nice vehicles in the last few years. So, I'm going to let them keep doing what they do & we'll keep reaping the benefits. I can't wait to get my Genesis Coupe.

 

[Poopsicle]

Hyundai is that hard to work for. At least that's what I've heard from Montgomery employees & from articles about American managers getting along with upper Korean mgt. But, that is also the reason they have made a turn around in just 10yrs that took the 3 Japanese brands twice as long to do. That is also why we are able to drive such awe inspiring quality vehicles from the Korean auto manufacturer.

Hyundai does what's in their best interest I would imagine & their decisions have proven to give us, the consumer some really nice vehicles in the last few years. So, I'm going to let them keep doing what they do & we'll keep reaping the benefits. I can't wait to get my Genesis Coupe.

Those Koreans are no joke when it comes to work. Just look at Sony vs Samsung. Sony used to be a role model for Samsung. Now Samsung is surpassing Sony and Sony is also using some of Samsung's technology. What a turn around!!

 

[Mark_888]

Are people assuming he was forced out? How do we know that?

Given the current vehicle lineup, there may not be any new vehicles on the horizon for Hyundai, and maybe he was bored. Or maybe being on top (after finishing the Genesis) he thought it was the best time to field offers from other companies who want him to do the same for them.

We now know that he is going to MB.