Henning Knoepfle
eπ: a brand built on proportion and clarity
- Company
- Dongfeng Motor, Wuhan
- Years
- 2021 to 2024
- Role
- Design Director
- Team
- Seventeen: six designers, eight Alias modellers, three color and trim designers
The task
Dongfeng wanted a mainstream electric brand for younger buyers. There was no design language and no first car.
The customer
We studied how Gen Z buyers in China think about individuality, technology and self-expression. That research set the visual territory before anyone drew a car.
The language
I advised management to take a simple direction: strong proportions, disciplined surfaces, precise execution. Every element that did not help the proportion was removed.
eπ 007
The first car is a sporty fastback with muscular proportions and a clean execution. I led the exterior and interior design from the first sketches to production.
eπ 008
The second car carries the same language to a full-size family SUV. Proportion and surface quality stayed the priority, with a more substantial stance for a family car.
Color and trim
I led the color and trim team of three, reviewing painted panels and materials with them through to production.
The result
The 007 launched in March 2024 and won a Red Dot Design Award that year. The 008 followed in June 2024. About 91,000 cars were sold in China in 2024 and 2025. The 007 is exported to Belarus, Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand.
