VW prototype Sedric
In the design department, VW boss Diess uses the red pencil.
Potsdam Peter Wouda strokes his fingers over the “Volkswagen” lettering on the Self-propelled model Sedric emblazoned. Earlier, he explains VW-Designer, you have also crafted the brand names for the prototypes by hand. Today, the lettering comes from the 3D printer. “We also have to use our resources sparingly,” says Wouda.
The savings through VWLogos from the 3D printer may be manageable: But they are harbingers of important changes for the creative department of the VW Group. Responsible for this is the new CEO Herbert Diess. which puts its stamp on the company.
The long-standing VW brand leader is considered a cost-driver – and the design is one of the first areas in which he tackles his austerity course, However, with savings in the design department alone, Diess can barely achieve its ambitious margin targets. Other areas such as purchasing or development are likely to follow soon.
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Michael Mauer also imagines that the corporate design will soon have the next changes in the house. For almost three years he is chief designer of the VW Group. At that time short-term appointed to the post of VW CEO Matthias Müller had him from Stuttgart from Porsche brought to Wolfsburg.
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So far, the construction of prototypes is still widely used at VW. These models are however complicated and expensive. The expenditures for it start with a simpler model with 50,000 euro, can however also fast with 200,000 or 300,000 euro end.
The VW corporate design will have to save more in the future, which is beyond question for Mauer. The answer to expensive prototypes is called “Virtual Reality” (VR). In the future, the models will actually only be hand-made in reduced numbers. “Probably just the really final model,” he says.
A significantly larger number of prototypes should be designed exclusively on the computer in the near future. Thus, the design department achieves what Dass demands of the entire group: the economical use of resources.
Chief Designer Mauer still has to prepare for another change: in corporate circles, it is already certain today that responsibility for the area will be shifted to the Executive Board. Until the dismissal of Matthias Müller in April, the design was located at the CEO. But Herbert Diess will give that responsibility.
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Instead, should PorscheBoss Oliver Blume take over responsibility for the design; He is already responsible for production on the Executive Board. In addition, the connection to Porsche is close: Michael Mauer is also responsible for the Porsche design in a dual function.
But Mauer is not worried that the design might lose importance due to the cost pressure, on the contrary: “The design will decide which car brands will survive in the long run,” says the chief designer from the VW Group.
His reasoning: The automakers were more and more specifications made – be it laws or the daily real situation on the roads with lots of traffic jams. “For the auto companies, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from each other,” emphasizes Mauer.
In addition, the development cycles for new models would be shorter and shorter. The necessary differentiation features can create the design in this situation.
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The change of automobile manufacturers to mobility companies will also create new responsibilities in design. In the future, it will no longer be just about designing new cars – the focus will be on the design of an entire brand. “Design is much more than just pure form,” says Mauer.
In the electric era, it is also one of the tasks of the automaker to provide a reliable charging infrastructure. Autonomous and self-driving cars should be designed so that the car buyer can use these vehicles really easy.
If the design takes on such additional tasks, it can strengthen the identity of a manufacturer. The Volkswagen design benefits from the size of the group. The high level of internationality with twelve brands ensures that VW designers can recognize important changes more quickly.
Nevertheless, the designers from the VW Group have to deal with a very special problem – with the diesel affair. Also soon three years after the discovery of the scandal are Volkswagen and Audi did not come out of the headlines. An end to the affair is far from foreseeable, setbacks threaten with some regularity.
For AudiChief designer Marc Lichte there is only one answer: new cars. He promises Audi customers for the next time a “model fireworks”. Lichte wants to ensure that Audi, with its good design and appealing models, again makes mostly positive headlines.
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