Friday, December 1 & December 8
Topic: Hyundai's First Black Designer Opens Up About His New Career Climbing Role At Icona Design (A Two Part Show)
Guest: Up until his recent departure from Hyundai, Andre Hudson proudly carried the weight of being known as their first Black car designer. And the impact he had on the automaker went well beyond his ethnicity. While at Hyundai, he played a key role in designing stylish vehicles for the automaker that led them for the first time to sell over 500,000 vehicles annually in the U. S., as a result of the breakout design of the 2011 Sonata he created. During its peak, the Sonata Hudson designed accounted for approximately 40 percent of the Korean automaker's annual U.S. sales. Hudson was also lead designer for the brand's new luxury flagship, the Genesis G90. The G90 competes against the Lexus LS and the BMW 7-Series.
Ironically, just
on the heels of Hyundai launching its luxury brand, Hudson was eyeing some
other opportunities. On “Auto Trends with JeffCars.com,” Hudson lets down his
guard. In a very candid and personal two part-conversation, the easy going
designer talks about his mixed race, family and culture, as well as his new
dream role at Icona Design, where he serves as Chief Designer. In this role, he
oversees the design studio for the Italian company only American-based office.
Hudson now becomes one of eight Black designers in the world to break through
