The Volkswagen brand will replace design chief Jozef Kaban with Bentley’s design boss Andreas Mindt, according to company sources.
Mindt will join the VW brand on February 1, sources said. car news europe sister publication car week.
Mind’s successor at Bentley is Tobias Suhlmann, who now heads exterior design for the Volkswagen Group’s ultra-luxury brand, according to people familiar with the matter. Suehlmann said he will join Bentley in October 2021 and previously he worked for the Bugatti, Aston Martin, McLaren and VW brands.
Mr. Kaban, who was in charge of designing the VW brand in 2020, will take on a new post within the VW Group.
According to sources, the new CEO of the VW brand, Thomas Schaefer, is not impressed with some of Kaban’s designs.
Kaban was asked to change the retro styling of the ID Life concept, which was unveiled at the 2021 IAA Munich Motor Show, to a more modern look. The concept was supposed to preview what VW’s entry-level ID electric vehicle will look like in 2025.
Schaefer also asked the Kaban design team to restyle the Volkswagen brand’s upcoming flagship EV to look more like a crossover than a sedan.
Kavan started his career in 1999 with the VW Group, working for Audi, Bugatti and Skoda.
father’s footsteps
Kaban’s successor, Mindt, is also a VW Group veteran.
Mind, 53, grew up in Wolfsburg, home of VW’s global headquarters. Her father is a VW designer.
VW declined to comment on the changes. The company expects to formally announce the appointments in the near future.
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