“Success by design”: This was the motto of this year’s “Group Media Night” of the Volkswagen Group. On this occasion, Oliver Blume (CEO) presented the main results of his first year at the helm of the group and laid the foundation for the future design strategy. Through a holistic approach, the company increases the importance of design in its activities – from the brand identity of its products to digital offerings. In the future, the design departments of each brand will be asked to intensify the exchange and consultation with their respective CEOs.

Two days before the opening of the IAA 2023, the Munich Motor Show, the Volkswagen Group invited more than 400 journalists from all over the world to an extraordinary event in the famous Eisbach film studios. The theme of this evening was design.

Oliver Blume, Group CEO: “ Good design is an essential factor in delighting our customers. Through refined design identities, we create impactful products and increase differentiation between our brands. Outside, inside and inside in the digital experience. The Volkswagen Group is becoming a design-oriented company. »

A 10-point plan with tangible results

The event coincided with the first anniversary of Oliver Blume’s tenure at the helm of the Volkswagen Group. Since becoming Group CEO in September 2022, he has managed to deliver on a number of pivotal projects, including:

• a refined product line for CARIAD with help from the company’s new management;
• a streamlined platform deployment strategy and a more competitive technology profile;
• the rise of PowerCo and the project to build a new gigafactory in Canada;
• the implementation of the “In China, for China” strategy with local partners;
• increased attention to sustainable development;
• the introduction of an integrated mobility platform;
• closer cooperation with the capital markets.

In addition, the company has implemented quality improvement programs and a restructuring of its product strategy in order to better position the entire group on the path to sustainable success, i.e. essentially to focus on more value-creating growth.

Design: an important differentiator

With more than 100 million customers around the world, Oliver Blume reaffirmed the company’s ultimate goal of customer satisfaction and emphasized the key role of the group’s brands in creating sustainable value. Solid brands that clearly stand out from each other: that is the key to success for him. That is why the Volkswagen Group has made design its strategic priority.

Oliver Blume emphasized the importance of design for the emotional bond with the customer: “The design of our models is one of the main factors that make our brands successful.” Every brand must be able to rely on a strong personality. Our revised design principles aim to improve design quality and strengthen our brand differentiation. Our design strategy is based on the development of recognized production models, technological showcases for our electric vehicles and iconic products of the Volkswagen Group. »

The Group’s commitment to design excellence was highlighted by Michael Mauer, Group Design Director and Chief Designer at Porsche, who emphasized the strategic role of design in the formation and harmony of brand identity and innovation. At a time when traditional USPs are becoming less important, design is becoming one of the key differentiators of brands. “Design works. Because it reflects what makes up the core of a brand, where it comes from, where it is going and what makes it unique. People automatically identify with a brand through design because it communicates with them like an emotional language. In a brand universe as diverse as the Volkswagen Group, whose customers range from Ducati racers to Scania truck drivers, each brand has to assert its own personality, be unique and unmistakable,” said Ms. Mauer.

Until now, brand design has been entrusted to technical development at the organizational level. This close collaboration is maintained to ensure an optimal product development process. In the meantime, however, design is also becoming increasingly important in companies. For this reason, the design managers of each brand will in future turn to their respective CEOs. The close exchange with the brand CEO is intended to promote a holistic implementation of design principles for a coherent brand experience – from the corporate identity to the products and the digital offers of the respective brand. The focus is always on the customer and the product.

Based on the sophisticated design principles, each brand has developed its own design language that translates its brand values ​​into specific brand experiences inside, outside and in digital design. During the Group Night, design managers presented these differentiated brand identities in their respective presentation areas.

Presentation of the Volkswagen ID. GTI concept

One of the highlights of the evening was the unveiling of the Volkswagen ID. GTI Concept, with which the brand intends to write a new chapter in the prestigious history of the GTI range. Andreas Mindt, Chief Designer at Volkswagen Passenger Cars, presented the main guidelines of the design language that enabled the GTI models to enter the age of electric mobility: “The Volkswagen brand has a rich tradition. Stability, sympathy and fascination make Volkswagen a brand of passion – and these characteristics also characterize the DNA of our sports models. The connection between the best German engineering and advanced technologies makes ID. GTI Concept is the Group’s crisp and clear response to the trend towards electrification, but without making the slightest compromise, be it in terms of performance, design or emotional attachment, three distinctive features of the GTI range.

CUPRA introduces a new model with a daring silhouette

In contrast to the tradition-conscious Volkswagen brand, Jorge Diez, chief designer of CUPRA, presented an exhibition model that pushes the boundaries and even goes so far as to question the art and way in which automobiles are designed and designed for the next generations developed: the CUPRA DarkRebel. Founded just five years ago, the CUPRA brand shows what a brand without a history can be capable of: The DarkRebel concept breaks away from classic design standards by offering an assertive silhouette, dynamic proportions or even distinctive elements that are second to none. The design of this model was developed in collaboration with the brand’s global community, gathered under the name CUPRA Tribe: more than 270,000 configurations have been submitted online for approval. The CUPRA DarkRebel is the quintessence of what the CUPRA brand is able to express. It embodies their philosophy of challenging the established consensus and creating exceptional cars capable of generating unique emotions.

outlook

The design strategy focuses on the development of established model lines, flagship projects in electric vehicle technology and iconic products. As a design-oriented company with ten strong and clearly differentiated brands, the Volkswagen Group wants to cover all customer segments. With refined design principles, the highest design quality and an even stronger brand differentiation, the group intends to develop further in the long term and secure its competitive advantage.