Lately the news media has made it a habit to scare up the public by mentioning how recent international events signify that the Cold War is heating up again. If it bleeds it leads, right? However the balance of world powers is also shifting on another playing field, that of the automotive industry. South Korea's industrial muscle has been making itself well known around the world, but the auto industry takes no pity on temporary luck, especially when the heavyweight brands are over a century old.

That's why, after 69 years, Hyundai has only now been able to think about legitimizing itself as a more well-rounded automaker by bringing a luxury brand to life in the US. We recently test drove its flagship, the G90, and found it to be superb albeit missing a bit of personality and character. Thankfully that might just change. That's because Genesis has just nabbed Alexander Selipanov, known as Sasha. If that name doesn't ring a bell for you, then good, it means that you have this whole car addiction thing under control. However the hopeless car nuts among us will recognize Selipanov as one of Bugatti's ex designers.

To be fair, he wasn't "just" one of the designers at Bugatti, he was the Head of Exterior Design for the marquee beginning in 2014 and is responsible for the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo Concept that was unveiled at 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show. The Vision Gran Turismo's design borrows from the Chiron, which Selipanov also had a hand in designing. Before Bugatti, Selipanov worked with the Volkswagen Group and even had a part in designing the Lamborghini Huracan. As one can imagine, tackling Genesis is an entirely different animal for Selipanov given that the brand is not as established as Lamborghini or Bugatti. However, Selipanov is fired up for his new challenge.

"I am sincerely excited about this opportunity, because it will be a new chapter in my career. As I have been working with well-established brands so far, Genesis is a new and refreshing challenge to me," said Selipanov. In our eyes, the marriage couldn't be more perfect given that Genesis needs a unifying characteristic that helps it stand out. Hopefully we'll see Genesis morph into a full on Lexus fighter within the next few years because, A: Its second crack at luxury, the G90, was a solid attempt and B: because competition among automakers benefits consumers and us enthusiasts.