Volkswagen Group names Andreas Mindt Head of Design
Andreas Mindt (56) has built his career at the Volkswagen Group for nearly 30 years, since graduating from the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Pforzheim. Since February 2023, he has led the design team for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand. The first car to bear his signature during his tenure is the all-electric ID. Polo. Brand CEO Thomas Schäfer reportedly brought Mindt to Volkswagen primarily to revitalise the ‘ID’ electric series.Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said: “I am looking forward to working more closely with Andy Mindt. With his track record at the Volkswagen brand and his expertise, he has made a significant impact in a short time and played a key role in ensuring that our cars are clearly recognisable as genuine Volkswagen models again.”According to the company, the role of Volkswagen Group Design is to clearly distinguish the individual brands from one another and make their respective DNA visible. Each brand must be instantly recognisable and authentically connected to its heritage. This is an achievement that predecessor Michael Mauer, who has held the role since January 2023, has undoubtedly accomplished. “Michael Mauer achieved precisely what we set out to do in a short time,” said Blume. “The individual brands developed their DNA and pinpointed their positioning. Their iconic models authentically and emotionally reflect their origin – and deliver what our customers around the world expect from us.”According to a report by the German Manager Magazin, Mauer (63) could have continued to lead the design of the entire group even after his departure as Porsche’s Head of Design. CEO Blume had kept the position at Volkswagen open for him. However, insiders quoted in the article said the designer felt the role of Group Design Head was too focused on administration and organisation, without direct responsibility for a specific brand. This likely influenced his decision to leave the company, with the Group officially describing the change as a ‘planned generational change.’For Andreas Mindt, however, the challenge of not also bearing primary responsibility for one of the Group’s ten brands does not apply. He remains Head of Design for the largest brand, Volkswagen Passenger Cars. His career at the Group has been diverse: he first gained attention in 1999 with the design of the Bentley Hunaudières, Bentley’s first model after its acquisition by Volkswagen. Until 2014, Mindt held various positions at the Volkswagen brand and contributed to the design of the first Tiguan and the Golf 7. From 2014 to 2021, he was responsible for redefining Audi’s exterior design, from the Audi A1 to the Audi e-tron GT and from the Audi Q3 to the Audi Q8. Since 2021, he shaped a new design language for Bentley as Director of Bentley Design before returning to the Volkswagen brand in February 2023.volkswagen-group.com, manager-magazin.de (in German)
