Achtungblitzen! Donckerwolke To Head Volkswagen's Advanced Design

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Life imitates advertising: Years after the un-pimp your Volkswagen ads with Teutonic blondes and lots of lab coats, Volkswagen at last gets a head of Advanced Design with a name to match: Luc Donckerwolke!

The 46 year old takes his job as Head of Advanced Design at the Volkswagen Group on August 1, 2011. He reports to Volkswagen Design Chief Walter de Silva.

Donckerwolke has done the tour of the Volkswagen empire. He began as an exterior designer at Audi, moved to Škoda, returned to Audi, became design project manager and later Head of Design at Lamborghini before becoming Director of Design at SEAT.

SEAT gets a Spaniard back. Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos was involved in designing several models at SEAT before absconding to Renault. He’s coming home to Spain.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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 5 comments
  • Sundowner Sundowner on Jul 22, 2011

    He's wearing a sportcoat over a white turtleneck. While I'm instantly and violently skeptical of anyone who dresses like an architect, including architects, SEAT rigs have looked decent lately, so I hold my angry outburst for later.

    • Ronnie Schreiber Ronnie Schreiber on Jul 22, 2011

      Though it's tempting, you can't really tell much from the way car designers dress. While some clearly give some thought to how they look (J. Mays at Ford has changed his personal look in terms of clothes and hair style about 4 times in the past 10 years) and you can kinda tell they're a designer, it's not always true. Ian Callum has penned some of the most beautiful cars made and he looks like a schlump, wears a suit that hangs on him and is a bit wrinkled, open collar shirt.

  • Mpresley Mpresley on Jul 22, 2011

    I wonder if he has an opinion on the latest "dull as dishwater" VW exteriors? Not that they are bad. But they are just not very compelling. Also, front bumper integration is not very well thought out. In VWs previous efforts, the front was smoothly contoured from the hood down to the bottom air ducts. Now, there is an awkward cheapness about the new snouts hearkening back to the mid 70s protruding 5mph bumpers.

    • ClioDriver ClioDriver on Jul 23, 2011

      Luc revived Seat, and that was a boring brand. After his stint at Seat he moved to Lamborghini after Audi bought the company. There he (helped) design the Murciélago and Gallardo. He might just give the motherbrand a new makeover.

  • Dr.Nick Dr.Nick on Jul 22, 2011

    The dude is Flemish, not German. So you juuuust get by on the Teutonic comment, but only just.

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