Blog: RALPH MORTON
There’s a new director of design at Bentley: Luc Donckerwolke. It’s part of an internal reshuffle inside the VW Group, of which Bentley is a member.
Luc, who is moving from his current post as head of advanced design at the Volkswagen Group, takes over at Bentley from Dirk van Braeckel.
Dirk, in his turn, moves to Volkswagen Group design directed by Walter de Silva.
Let’s hope that Luc can do something rather better than the EXP 9 F Concept, a grim-looking SUV supposed to be the fastest and most luxurious SUV in the world. And, I venture to add, probably the most hideous.
With a CV that includes Audi (two stints), Skoda, head of design at Lamborghini and director of design at SEAT, Luc should be able to inject some real design gorgeousness into the Bentley brand. Rather like the recently announced 205mph Bentely Continental GT Speed, an all-wheel drive performance flagship launched at the Moscow Motor Show on 29 August.
Walter de Silva commented: “Luc Donckerwolke brings a wealth of design talent to Bentley,” Walter told the Business Car Manager Blog. “His extensive experience makes him the ideal person to take forward Bentley’s future design language, at a time when the company has significant plans for new models.”