From a small steel town in Luxembourg to leading interior design at one of China’s most ambitious EV brands, Sergio Loureiro’s journey captures how far creative ambition, and Luxembourgish talent, can travel.
Born to Portuguese immigrant parents in Differdange, Sergio Loureiro, Interior Design Director at Chinese EV brand Zeekr, has come a long way from his childhood in Luxembourg. His father a metalworker at Paul Würth, his mother a concierge in Belair, Loureiro’s fascination with cars began early. “A teacher once asked me to draw my dream job,” he recalls. “I drew a car and said, ‘I want to become a car designer.’”
Today, Loureiro leads a 32-person team at Zeekr, part of Chinese automotive giant Geely. But the road to success wasn’t always a smooth one. With limited access to design programs in the pre-internet era, he studied engineering in Compiègne, France. It wasn’t until an internship at BMW in Munich that he found himself surrounded by designers for the first time. “I met the other interns, and they were all at design schools, Royal College of Art in London, ArtCenter in California, CCS in Detroit, Strate in Paris. I started to realize that maybe I had chosen the wrong studies,” he says. “I also noticed the level they had, especially in drawing. They were really skilled. I didn’t have that kind of level.”
Shortly after, Loureiro finished his final year at a product design and architecture school in Brazil and began working as a designer at a bus company. But when Argentina, the company’s main market, plunged into economic turmoil, he moved to Paris and joined Peugeot as a studio engineer. Determined to pivot further into design, he took night classes and built a portfolio that earned him a spot at the Royal College of Art in London at age 29. “I already had experience and understood what studio work demanded,” he says.
An internship at Mercedes-Benz in Japan followed, but it was his RCA graduation project that landed him a role at Opel in 2008. “The first offer you get, you take it,” he says. At Opel, then under GM, he was one of three designers selected to present a prototype car at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, a breakthrough moment. “You feel special. Like you’ve achieved something.”
Little did he know he would move to Shanghai two years later, joining Chery in 2012, where he contributed to multiple production models. He later relocated to Sweden to work on Lynk & Co’s 001, a five-meter flagship that eventually became a Zeekr model when the brand diversified. “We were designing the car when Zeekr was created,” he says. “At the end, we changed all the logos, and it became the Zeekr 001.”
Scaling luxury for the mass market
Since then, Loureiro accompanied Zeekr’s growth, from 6,000 vehicles sold in 2021 to over 200,000 in 2024, according to company data. He has worked on eight vehicles for the Chinese brand, with several more launching in 2026. Among these, Zeekr’s first robotaxi, a collaboration with American company Waymo, and a second version for the Chinese market, the Zeekr Mix. “The Luxembourgish Minister of Economy sat in it when he visited China and didn’t know a Luxembourger had designed it,” Loureiro says.
One of Loureiro’s most recent projects, the Zeekr 009, a high-tech electric minivan, has become a standout success in China. “In its price range, this is the best-selling car in China right now.” Selling over 4,000 units a month, the 009 can go up to €120,000 in its top-tier configuration.
After more than a decade of launches, Loureiro treats each new car like ‘just another match’. The challenge never gets old.
People first, cars second
One thing is clear: no matter how many cars he designs, they’ll always come second to the people he works with. Early in his career, support in the field was hard to find. “When you’re a junior designer trying to get noticed and move up, most people won’t help you at all,” he says. “But a few I worked with really did, and they’re the ones who left the biggest mark on me.”
At Zeekr, Loureiro relies on a highly specialised team, from seat designers to steering wheel specialists. “I have a designer who only does trunk compartments. He has a dog and bikes, so he knows exactly how to make a practical trunk,” Loureiro says. “It’s great having people like that on a team, because they think ahead.”
Especially as he grows older, he appreciates the fresh perspectives his designers bring. “It’s amazing when someone who’s 25 says, ‘Here, I’ll give you my own ideas,’ because they’re often fresher, more modern.”
But leading a design team isn’t without its challenges. “Designers still want their own creation, something they can show their friends and say, ‘I was the lead designer on that project.’ There’s always a bit of competition, a bit of ego. And then you’re trying to keep 32 people motivated at the same time. It’s often a juggling act.”
“We think we’re artists, we’re not. We’re designers, and we create things for others, not for ourselves”
Loureiro also emphasises the importance of designing with the consumer in mind. “Designers want to revolutionize the world, make things that are futuristic. But the consumer isn’t ready yet,” he says. His engineering background gives him a different lens. “We think we’re artists, we’re not. We’re designers, and we create things for others, not for ourselves.”
That means adapting to those you cater to. “In Europe, the average car buyer is 55 or 60. Their mindset isn’t the same as a young person’s. You learn that over time, and you adapt.”
Staying grounded in a fast-changing industry
Loureiro notes how the industry has changed. “In 2001 at BMW, we planned cars to stay on the market for seven years. Now, we design them in a year. Sometimes we start the facelift three weeks after launch.”
And this fast-paced nature hasn’t only affected production cycles; it’s shifted expectations for designers themselves. “It’s getting younger. They expect a design director to be maybe 40 or 42. Some are even 37 or 38,” he says. He underlines that being young isn’t a bad thing, but leading a team takes experience. “The problem isn’t the design itself. You have to work with 30 designers. Your personality needs to be developed. You need experience, with good bosses, bad bosses, with people who work well or are more egocentric. Once you’ve had those experiences, you know what kind of boss you want to be. And that takes a few years. If you start too young, sometimes you’re just not ready.”
Despite years abroad and immense success, Loureiro remains grounded. “Home is still in Luxembourg,” he says. He still remembers the parked cars on his street from when he was a kid, dreaming of becoming a designer. “I still remember which neighbour had which car, who had a Porsche, who had a Ferrari 308. Sometimes I still see them parked in the same spot to this day.”
For Luxembourg, Loureiro’s journey is a reminder that small nations can punch far above their weight in the global design economy.
This article was published in the 8th article of Forbes Luxembourg.
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