Hyundai has appointed Bradley Arnold as chief designer and head of Hyundai Design North America, based in Irvine, California.
The move is part of the brand’s broader push towards a design-led market position.
He’s done the job before, just without the title. Arnold ran HDNA on an interim basis through 2025, overseeing both production and concept vehicle development during that time. Now the appointment is permanent.
His record is solid. Across 18 years with major automotive brands, Arnold’s work includes the 2023 Palisade facelift, the 2022 Santa Cruz and the Genesis GV80 Concept, unveiled at the 2017 New York Auto Show.
He also spent five years at General Motors in California — contributing to the Cadillac Elmiraj Concept and several Chevrolet concepts — before rejoining Hyundai in 2016.
XRT has been a running theme in his recent work. Arnold helped develop Hyundai’s XRT off-road strategy, and the dedicated development space in the California studio — called The Sandbox — runs out of his studio.
It has already produced the 2026 Palisade XRT PRO and the CRATER Concept, with further XRT models in the pipeline.
Luc Donckerwolke, Hyundai Motor Group’s chief creative officer, cited Arnold’s connection to North American customers as a deciding factor.
Arnold holds a degree from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, where he taught for over a decade.
