Korean American head automotive designer Hubert Lee, known for breathing organic sensuality into recent Mercedes-Benz designs, was on hand in Busan to unveil his new M-Class SUV Tuesday, ahead of the the Busan Auto Show which opens Thursday.
The M-class is Mercedes-Benz’s first SUV to be introduced in S. Korea while rivals BMW and Audi have already achieved substantial SUV sales there.
The front of the new M-class SUV was intended to suggest the human face, Lee noted, with the oval headlamps suggesting eyes and the circular projection beam evoking the pupils.
But Lee’s favorite part of the first M-class redesign in seven years is the rippling of the side skirt which gives the car a more sensual and aggressive look. Since the M-Class was first launched in 1997 1.2 million units have been sold globally. Lee’s redesign represents the model’s third generation look.
“I wanted to express the characteristics of an off-roader as well as the image of a comfortable and luxurious Mercedes’ sedan,” said Lee, 39, a Mercedes-Benz chief designer whose earlier focus had been on sportier coupes and convertibles.
Lee graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena before joining Mercedes in 2002. In 2006, while working at Mercedes-Benz’ California studio, Lee impressed top executives by participating in a company-wide competition to design the second-generation CLS, ones of the models that sets the style tone for Benz. Lee’s design was selected among the final three, winning him a trip to Germany that October.
Since then his star has risen quickly. In April of 2010 he was named the head designer of the firm’s California advanced design studio. He impressed industry observers with concept cars like the sensuous F800 and the Biome which wowed spectators at the 2010 motor shows in Geneva and Los Angeles. For Mercedes-Benz’s 125th anniversary Lee designed the hydrogen-powered F125! for exhibition at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
“Chairman Dieter Zetsche is very open-minded and likes my concept cars,” Lee said.
Lee’s design for the CLS-Class luxury coupe ended up becoming the model’s second-generation design for the 2011 model year and was featured at the Paris Auto Show.
Lee was born in California, but returned to Korea while in middle school. He didn’t return to the US until he began at the Art Center. He graduated at the top of his class there and had his pick of carmakers to work for. He chose Mercedes. In 2010 Lee said he hoped one day to contribute to the Korean auto industry.
