Car Design Review 7: Klaus Bischoff, VW Group

2019 was a super-important year for us. The year of new Volkswagen, the ID.3 all-electric vehicle finally introduced, a new logo, brand design and a new attitude. Of course the new Golf – now in its eighth generation – was another big product launch. It was a very thoughtful year for Volkswagen, especially for design. The new design language of our product came to life and can be seen in very clear new proportions. The ID family, which we have worked on over the last few years is now coming to the road and as you have seen, pretty close to the show cars, from vision to reality. Also, with the new brand design we have worked deeply to the core of the marque, every touch point and new digital experience that will come to the marketplace.

To change a brand logo is not easy. We worked on this for roughly two years before we showed it to the public and I was deeply involved. The logo was completely designed in-house. When we rolled it out, in collaboration with our marketing colleagues, of course a lot of agencies got involved to make it happen. Volkswagen is a global brand and if you refurbish and redesign a brand you have to go into every little detail from business cards to online presentations, from the logo on the car to the logo on the factory door. Everything has gone through our hands. We were at the table all the time.

After the logo was finalised we came to the conclusion that this is such a big step for the company we also have to redesign the company. Because the feeling and experience we designed is so different to what had been before the old brand design and logo felt all wrong. So we asked to redesign the brand appearance too. When the old logo was designed, everything was honed down with precision, in chrome and every itty-bitty thing designed to a level that was outstanding. But it was a bit too classic, too jewel-like and didn’t feel modern – not so much Volkswagen anymore. Reaching too high with our nose in the stars.

So we really reconsidered what we stand for and the aim of Volkswagen: democratisation of mobility, accessible products and environmentally-friendly mobility for all. The new design is clear, easy to understand and could be lit on the car. It’s a step back to what we have meant to people over the decades and about making ourselves – from a cultural standpoint – more accessible and open.

In terms of electric vehicle trends there are two general movements: the brave side and the more conservative side. I have embraced the brave, to change proportions, to shoot for something new. There are new players in the field and I think this is a good thing because it motivates us. If you want to innovate and to go forward, we have to be brave and strong in design. The aim is to transform Volkswagen into a company delivering CO2-free mobility. Hence, you need a big family of electric cars in all sizes, ranges and price classes. The next one to be rolled out this year is the ID.4, size-wise similar to the Tiguan. And all the showcars we have seen so far are on their way. We have a very busy time.

And it’s not only Volkswagen, the whole group has committed themselves to this movement. For us designers it’s an awesome time because we are more free to create different design typologies. The room for manoeuvre is already a lot bigger than before, as the combustion engine is no longer part of the game.

I officially took over as head of design of the VW Group on April 1st 2020 and have both hats on until July when Jozef Kaban becomes Volkswagen brand design boss. Running the design of each of our brands is a full-time job so if on top you have the role of steering the group ship it’s a very tough demand. I will do this for a few months and then I’m committed to the Group role only, creating with my gorgeous team designs that will change the portfolio of products worldwide. That is my task. You need to control and steer talent accordingly. I think Jozef Kaban is one of the best designers you can put in your team. He’s truly creative and quite a character. We’ve worked together before in different setups and constellations but it was always very fruitful.

Cars are becoming digital devices so it’s more and more important that we look into the design of the experience. We have about 25 new UX designers, plus about 10 HMI designers. It’s not many, but growing rapidly as the demand for UX design revs up. Overall we have 418 designers in our headquarters in Wolfsburg and 100s more around the world of many nationalities. Volkswagen design is involved in 100 projects at a time. Nearly everybody runs two or three projects and a different discipline. So it’s an agile organisation and a worldwide activity.

If you’re in a startup you do one thing. Maybe many people, but one thing. In Volkswagen you play with a lot of projects and can create a lot of things that come to the road as well. It’s what keeps people here or makes them come back. It’s a very young and creative team and I would consider it one of the coolest teams in the world.

This article first appeared in Car Design Review 7.