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Corporate Information Hyundai Appoints Brad Arnold as Chief Designer, Head of Hyundai Design North America
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Corporate Information Hyundai Appoints Brad Arnold as Chief Designer, Head of Hyundai Design North America
Corporate Information Hyundai Appoints Brad Arnold as Chief Designer, Head of Hyundai Design North America
Corporate Information Hyundai Appoints Brad Arnold as Chief Designer, Head of Hyundai Design North America
IRVINE, Calif., March 24, 2026 – Hyundai Motor Company today announced that Bradley J. Arnold has been named Chief Designer and Head of Hyundai Design North America (HDNA) in Irvine, Calif. In this role, Arnold will oversee new vehicle and concept design for Hyundai Motor in North America, reinforcing the company’s ongoing commitment toward a more customer-centric, design-led position in the marketplace.
“Design is the clearest expression of our ambition as a brand,” said Luc Donckerwolke, executive vice president and chief creative officer of Hyundai Motor Group. “Brad brings clarity, courage, and a strong connection to North American customers. His leadership will be instrumental as Hyundai Design North America shapes vehicles that are both emotionally engaging and globally relevant.”
“With more than 18 years of experience working with highly respected global automotive brands, Brad brings an exceptional level of creative leadership and vision,” said SangYup Lee, executive vice president and head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design. “We are excited to have him lead Hyundai Design North America and build on the strong momentum of our vehicle design direction.”
In 2025, Arnold served as interim design head at HDNA, where he led the design development of all production and concept vehicles. He also played a key role in shaping Hyundai’s global XRT off-road strategy, now developed within the Hyundai California Design Studio’s creative new environment known as ‘The Sandbox.’ The Sandbox serves as the global design hub for future XRT model development. Under Arnold’s guidance, this space has produced the next generation of XRT-branded vehicles, including the 2026 Palisade XRT PRO, CRATER Concept, as well as a number of future XRT models heading to production in the coming years.
Beginning in 2021, Arnold led the exterior design team at Hyundai’s California studio. His recent work includes leadership contributions to the 2023 Hyundai Palisade facelift and 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. Earlier, he helped lead design for the Genesis GV80 Concept, introduced at the 2017 New York Auto Show.
Arnold previously worked at Hyundai from 2008 to 2011 and rejoined in 2016, contributing to the refreshed Hyundai Genesis Coupe exterior design and the Hyundai Curb Concept interior. In between his time at Hyundai, Arnold spent five years at General Motors Design in California, where he worked on the Cadillac Elmiraj Concept, Chevrolet Tru 140S, and PEV2 and PEV3 mobility concepts.
Arnold is a graduate of the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., where he also served as an instructor from 2009-2022.
Miles Johnson
miilesjohnson@hmausa.com
Hyundai Motor America PR
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Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe. Based on the brand vision ‘Progress for Humanity,’ Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. The company invests in advanced technologies such as robotics and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to bring about revolutionary mobility solutions, while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services. In pursuit of sustainable future for the world, Hyundai will continue its efforts to introduce zero emission vehicles equipped with industry-leading hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies.
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