--- title: Manfred Fitzgerald · HICONIUM description: Manfred Fitzgerald in the HICONIUM register — one file carrying their credit. canonical_url: https://hiconium.dev/people/manfred-fitzgerald image: https://hiconium.dev/og/people/manfred-fitzgerald.png --- > HICONIUM · Index: https://hiconium.dev/llms.txt · Every page: append `.md` or send `Accept: text/markdown`. > Path: [Home](https://hiconium.dev/) › [People](https://hiconium.dev/people) › Manfred Fitzgerald > On this page: [Fighter-jet design brief](#fighter-jet-design-brief) · [Studio sketch contest](#studio-sketch-contest) · [One file carries this name](#one-file-carries-this-name) People # Manfred Fitzgerald Lamborghini brand-and-design executive, 1999–2011 | Label | Value | | --- | --- | | Nationality | German-American | The record German-American brand executive who directed Lamborghini's Centro Stile alongside its design manager on the 2007 Reventón, then led Genesis and briefly chaired Piëch Automotive. Fitzgerald is German-American and was brought up in both countries; Monocle recorded that his first ten years were in the United States. The magazine described him as a former race driver who had hoped to follow his father into the United States Air Force as a fighter pilot. Automotive News noted that he was not a designer by training. He joined Automobili Lamborghini in 1999 as brand director, after Audi's purchase. He later said the house then had “just a big name and it had no content,” and that the first five years went on corporate identity, corporate design and brand DNA. From 2005 he sat on the management team for global brand, marketing and design, with chief executive Stefan Winkelmann under Volkswagen Group ownership. By 2008 the Los Angeles Times described him as first brand director, then head of design. That year he called Lamborghini's image “extreme, uncompromising, and Italian.” As Director of Brand and Design he took Centro Stile to a NATO air base in northern Italy, sat the team in Tornados and other aircraft, and used the F-22 Raptor as the Reventón brief. Five designers selected one arrow proposal and developed it collectively, from sketches to CAD without a full-size clay. The launch text placed him over the studio “grouped around the design manager.” The car appeared at Frankfurt in 2007; twenty were produced. At Paris in 2008 he presented the Estoque as a “consequent design” whose engineering had to follow the form, arguing the brand should not be reduced to two extreme sports cars. Hyundai later said that as brand-and-design chief he had helped lift Lamborghini's sales tenfold. In February 2011 he joined Loewe AG's executive board for marketing, sales, design and customer services and left by mutual consent that November. In 2013 he founded The Brand and Design Company. From January 2016 he was senior vice president and head of Genesis in Seoul; in 2017 the brand became a separate division under him. The G70 was named North American Car of the Year. Genesis said he left on 29 October 2019. In September 2022 Piëch Automotive named him chairman and co-CEO with Tobias Moers. A Swiss register filing of 12 December 2023 removed him as managing director and board member. No later public post is documented as of August 2026. ### Fighter-jet design brief He took Centro Stile to a NATO air base in northern Italy, sat in Tornados and other aircraft, and asked what the most impressive aircraft then was. The team chose the F-22 Raptor, which became the Reventón brief. ### Studio sketch contest Five designers, two of them senior, each drew a complete car from the same brief. One arrow-theme proposal was selected and then developed by the whole studio, without a full-size clay model. The stations 1. 1999–2011 Automobili Lamborghini Brand director, then head of design; from 2005, member of the management team for global brand management, marketing and design 2. 2011 Loewe AG Member of the Executive Board for marketing, sales, design and customer services (February–November) 3. 2013–2016 The Brand and Design Company Founder 4. 2016–2019 Genesis Senior Vice President and head of Genesis Brand 5. 2022–2023 Piëch Automotive AG Chairman of the executive board and co-CEO; managing director and member of the board of directors The house [![Lamborghini](https://hiconium.dev/images/marques/full/lamborghini.svg)](https://hiconium.dev/manufacturers/lamborghini) Credited through Lamborghini. In the register ## One file carries this name - [Lamborghini Reventón Director of Brand and Design · Lamborghini As Director of Brand and Design he took Centro Stile to a NATO air base, set the F-22 Raptor brief and ran the five-person sketch contest. The official press release placed him over the studio “grouped around the design manager”; he did not claim sole authorship of the body. 2007–2009 €1.4M 2007–2009 €1.4M Rating 87.0](https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/lamborghini/reventon) The files above are the register's own record of this name. [The people index](https://hiconium.dev/people) holds everyone the register credits. In their words > “We came back from there, they got the brief, and everybody in the design team was asked to come up with sketches for the car.” Manfred Fitzgerald · Autoweek, 16 September 2007 Sources - [etnow.de](https://www.etnow.de/news/2010/12/manfred-fitzgerald) - [koreatimes.co.kr](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/companies/20151228/hyundai-motor-tapped-non-korean-executives-in-annual-reshuffle) - [latimes.com](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/money-company/story/2008-10-03/manfred-the-man-a-conversation-with-lamborghinis-design-director) - [autoweek.com](https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2058261/lamborghini-reventn-supercar-concept-rocks-frankfurt/) - [motortrend.com](https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/lamborghini-reventon-first-drive) - [monocle.com](https://monocle.com/business/manfred-fitzgerald-genesis-hyundai/) - [thecarbloggerbeta.wordpress.com](https://thecarbloggerbeta.wordpress.com/2007/09/12/frankfurt-2008-lamborghini-reventon/) - [uploads.vw-mms.de](https://uploads.vw-mms.de/system/production/documents/cws/002/325/file_en/756fd665dc39e63470b44bcd423c135ce9fa7450/2007-Annual-Report.pdf?1686926194=) - [marketscreener.com](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/LOEWE-AG-436366/news/Loewe-AG-New-management-structure-for-Loewe-13911396/) - [indiatoday.in](https://www.indiatoday.in/auto/auto-news/story/hyundai-motor-hires-former-lamborghini-exec-in-push-for-premium-brand-279313-2015-12-28) - [newsroom.genesis.com](https://newsroom.genesis.com/genesis-brand-expands-to-headquarter-structure-and-staffing/) - [newsroom.genesis.com](https://newsroom.genesis.com/hyundai-motor-appoints-william-lee-as-new-global-head-of-genesis-brand/) - [autonews.com](https://www.autonews.com/article/20080714/OEM02/307149979/how-to-design-a-lamborghini-passion-for-speed-certainly-helps/) - [motortrend.com](https://www.motortrend.com/news/former-lamborghini-design-exec-to-lead-genesis-brand) - [automotiveworld.com](https://www.automotiveworld.com/news/hyundai-motor-announces-manfred-fitzgerald-lead-genesis-brand/) - [premium.goauto.com.au](https://premium.goauto.com.au/former-lamborghini-exec-to-head-genesis/) - [theinkcollective.net](https://www.theinkcollective.net/work/editorial-content/genesis-motors-manfred-fitzgerald-on-the-birth-of-a-new-luxury-car-brand) - [motorauthority.com](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1137120_piech-hires-tobias-moers-manfred-fitzgerald) - [collectorscarworld.com](https://collectorscarworld.com/piech-automotive-fitzgeralds-new-chairman/) - [electrive.com](https://www.electrive.com/2022/09/12/piech-automotive-changes-management/) - [topgear.com](https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/former-amg-and-aston-chief-tobias-moers-now-boss-piech-automotive) - [piech.com](https://www.piech.com/) - [northdata.com](https://www.northdata.com/Pi%C3%ABch%20Automotive%20AG,%20Zug/CHE-327.122.040) - [moneyhouse.ch](https://www.moneyhouse.ch/en/company/piech-automotive-ag-11265090751) - [carbodydesign.com](https://www.carbodydesign.com/2016/01/manfred-fitzgerald-to-lead-hyundais-genesis-brand/) - [coolhunting.com](https://coolhunting.com/culture/genesis-manfred-fitzgerald-oscars/) - [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi%C3%ABch_Automotive) - [autonews.com](https://www.autonews.com/move/swiss-startup-piech-names-ex-aston-genesis-execs-co-ceos/)