Derek Jenkins is an American automobile designer. He is currently the senior vice president of design and brand at

Lucid Motors Lucid Group, Inc., is an American automotive and technology company that manufactures electric vehicles and supplies advanced electric vehicle powertrain systems. The company is headquartered in Newark, California. In September 2021, the compa ...

. He is known for his contribution to the design of the Mazda MX-5 (fourth generation) as well as the

Lucid Air The Lucid Air is a Battery electric vehicle, battery electric four-door luxury Sedan (automobile), sedan made by Lucid Motors. The car was announced in December 2016 and sold starting in 2021. The Dream Edition's United States Department of En ...

Biography

Jenkins was born in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He attended the

ArtCenter College of Design The ArtCenter College of Design is a private art college in Pasadena, California. It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design. ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in transportation design. Jenkins spent eight years with

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

, serving first as lead exterior designer, followed by assistant chief designer for Audi Design. He was the principal exterior designer of the A2 concept and production cars, as well as the 2002

Audi A8 The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury vehicle, luxury sedan (car), sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with either front-wheel dri ...

. Jenkins then spent nine years as the chief designer for Volkswagen North America, where he is credited with several vehicles including the Scirocco concept, Ragster, Microbus concept, VW GX3 and Concept T. Jenkins then became director of design at

Mazda is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. ...

North America Operations, where he oversaw all design developments locally and globally. He was the lead designer of the Mazda MX-5 (fourth generation), which was the

World Car of the Year The World Car Awards (also known as World Car of the Year, WCOTY) is a group of automobile ''Car of the Year'' awards selected by a jury of 102 international automotive journalists from 30 countries. Cars considered must be sold in at least two m ...

and World Car Design of the Year in 2016. He was the lead or contributing designer to the Shinari concept, CX-5,

Mazda6 The (known as the Mazda Atenza in Japan, derived from the Italian '' attenzione'') is a mid-size sedan produced by Mazda since 2002, replacing the long-produced Capella/626. The Mazda6 was marketed as the first example of the company's "Styli ...

Mazda3 The (known as the in China and Japan (first three generations), a combination of "accelerate" and "excellent") is a compact car manufactured by Mazda, available as a 5-door hatchback and 4-door sedan across all generations. It was first in ...

, and the 2017 CX-9. In 2015, Jenkins left Mazda to join

(at the time named Atieva). As the senior vice president of design and brand, he oversees all design developments, including exterior and interior design, user experience, color and material, accessories, and the overall design strategy, along with Peter Rawlinson. Jenkins also leads Lucid's brand creative and brand strategy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Derek Living people American automobile designers Year of birth missing (living people) Lucid Motors