Movement at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ design studio
The head of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ (VWCV) design studio has returned to Germany after a stint in Australia
Gu-Han Kim has shifted over from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ (VWCV) design studio in Melbourne, which he has led since May 2019, to a new role in Germany as head of exterior design at VWCV.
“I am motivated and excited to face future requirements for commercial vehicles and to shape the vision and appearance of our brand,” he told Car Design News following the announcement. While in Australia, Kim most recently led the design of the new Amarok, an important model for the brand which in 2021 sold around 830,000 units globally.
Kim started his career in Wolfsburg through an internship in 2007, working in the interior design studio and developing the VW Helios degree project, a solar-powered off-road concept that went on to be a category winner at the 2008 Interior Motives Design Awards.
Kim would remain in Wolfsburg for his first full time position in car design, working as an interior designer at design and engineering consultancy Volke.
In October 2011 he would shift over to VWCV for the first time as an interior designer, working on the VW Caddy 5 and the upcoming Amarok at the time. In 2016 he was bumped up to senior exterior designer – a position he would hold for over four years before moving to Melbourne in 2019 to lead the VWCV design studio there.
A native German speaker, Kim returned to Wolfsburg, where he has spent the majority of his career, at the end of 2022. He is now formally head of exterior design at VWCV as of January and will be responsible for the exterior design of the complete VW commercial vehicle line-up.