Aeolus L series: three programmes, one family

Aeolus sold SUVs from different years on existing bodies. Each needed an electric or plug-in version, quickly and at lower cost, and together they had to read as one family.

I led the design of both cars. Both sit on the existing M57 body. The electric and the plug-in version had to look different from each other and cost less to build. New front and rear treatments made both look wider and more stable.

The L8 is a major rework of the existing G59 for a plug-in hybrid powertrain. We redesigned the exterior and the interior. The exterior takes cues from the larger eπ 008. The interior concentrates on perceived quality and comfort.

For the next step of the L7 line I presented two directions to management, one muscular and sporty, one clean and architectural. Both were developed digitally and in clay. Management preferred the cleaner design. The programme then switched to a faster, lower-cost route, which became the L8Y.

Both programmes ran nine months from start to release. The design task was one front-end identity across three L series SUVs, inside fixed package and timing limits.

The L8 launched in August 2025 and sold 8,758 cars in its first five months. The model it replaced sold 6,807 in all of 2024. In 2025 the Sky EV01 sold 29,310 and the L7 14,142.