Ο Walter de Silva φεύγει από το VW Group

14:01 6/11/2015 - Πηγή: AutoBlog

O επί κεφαλής σχεδιασμού του Volkswagen Group, Walter de Silva, αποφάσισε να αποσυρθεί από την εταιρία του Wolfsburg και κάθε άλλη αυτής, συμπεριλαμβανομένου και της Italdesign Giugiaro, όπου κατείχε τη θέση του προέδρου.

Όπως αναφέρει το δελτίο τύπου της VW ο de Silva αποχωρήσει από την εταιρία μετά από μια καριέρα μεγαλύτερη των 40 χρόνων στο σχεδιασμό αυτοκινήτων

και τέσσερις μήνες πριν τα 65α γενέθλιά του. Η 30η Νοεμβρίου θα είναι η τελευταία ημέρα της VW, με τον de Silva να μην συνεργάζεται με άλλη αυτοκινητοβιομηχανία, μιας και θα βγει στη σύνταξη. Παρά τη συνταξιοδότησή του, ο de Silva θα συνεχίσει να συνεργάζεται με την εταιρεία με έναν συμβουλευτικό ρόλο.

Ήταν επικεφαλής των τμημάτων σχεδιασμού του VW Group τα τελευταία εννέα χρόνια, ενώ έχει εργαστεί τόσο για λογαριασμό της Fiat όσο και της Alfa Romeo. Το 1998 ξεκίνησε την επαγγελματική του πορεία στο VW Group, ως ο σχεδιαστής της Seat, Θεωρείται ο πατέρας της ενιαίας τραπεζοειδής μάσκας των Audi, του πρώτου Audi R8, της δεύτερης γενιάς του TT, της Lamborghini Egoista, του VW Scirocco, αλλά και των Alfa Romeo 156 και 147. Αγαπημένο του αυτοκίνητο είναι το Audi A5, που όπως είπε κάποτε, ήταν το πιο όμορφο αυτοκίνητο που έχει σχεδιάσει ποτέ.

Δελτίο Τύπου

WALTER MARIA DE SILVA TAKES RETIREMENT

Head of Group Design established common design culture across all brands while retaining creative autonomy of each individual brand

Wolfsburg, November 6, 2015 – Walter Maria de Silva (64), Head of Group Design, is retiring with effect from the end of November. De Silva assumed design responsibility for all passenger car brands within the Volkswagen Group in February 2007. Walter de Silva will continue his links with the Group in an advisory capacity.

Walter Maria de Silva was born in Lecco (Italy) on February 27, 1951 and joined the Volkswagen Group 17 years ago when he became Head of the SEAT Design Centre in 1998. He was put in charge of the design of the Audi brand group, including the brands Audi, Lamborghini and SEAT, in 2002. His new design language with Audi was epitomised by the 6th generation of the Audi A6 and Audi A5 Coupé. He was appointed Head of Group Design at Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft in 2007. Walter de Silva saw the main focus of his work as design chief in establishing and nurturing a common design culture across all brands, which nevertheless allows each brand to retain a high degree of creative autonomy.

The CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Matthias Müller, paid tribute to Walter de Silva’s work with these words: “Walter de Silva epitomizes creativity and the Italian sense of beauty and style on the one hand and thoroughness, a systematic approach and discipline on the other.” Acknowledging de Silva’s definitive achievements for Volkswagen, Müller said: “Walter de Silva succeeded in establishing a design culture and methodology across all Group brands that is unique in our industry. At the same time, he was the driving force in preserving a high degree of creative autonomy for the brands and their design departments.”

The outstanding vehicles created by de Silva include the Alfa 156 (1997) and 147 (2001), the Volkswagen up!, the Polo and the Golf 6 and 7, the Audi R8 and the Audi A5, about which de Silva said that it was “the most beautiful car” he had ever designed.

Walter de Silva received numerous design awards for his work, including the “Design Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany 2010”, the highest official distinction awarded for design in Germany, for the design of the Audi A5. He received the “Compasso d’Oro” (Golden Compass), one ofthe most prestigious design awards in Italy, in 2011. An international expert panel described Walter de Silva as the “undisputed main protagonist of Italian design” and awarded him the prize for a career spanning over forty years.

De Silva began his professional career at the Fiat Design Centre in Turin in 1972. He joined Studio R. Bonetto in Milan in 1975. De Silva was Head of the Industrial Design and Automobiles Area at the Instituto Idea in Turin from 1979 to 1986. After a short stint working for “Trussardi Design Milano”, he switched to Alfa Romeo in 1986, where he was Head of Design until 1998. De Silva established a new design philosophy for the brand with the Alfa Romeo 156 (1997).