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Bentley Hires Stefan Sielaff as New Design Chief as Donckerwolke Quits

Bentley has had to borrow yet another VW Group employee to head its design division after Luc Donckerwolke resigned for unknown reasons. As of July 1st, Stefan Sielaff will be the head of design and he will be faced with hard tasks.
Bentley Hires Stefan Sielaff as New Design Chief as Donckerwolke Quits 1 photo
Photo: Volkswagen
Up until recently, Sielaff was the head of interior design, working in Potsdam. He will actually get to keep that job and still report to overall Volkswagen group design director Walter de Silva.

Head of the pencil case at Bentley

Sielaff has been the design director at Audi from 2006 until 2011. He also worked for Mercedes-Benz during a short three-year stint.

It might seem like his job at Bentley is going to be a hard one, but we're not entirely sure. The Bentayga SUV is in such an advanced state of development that no changes can be made to it. The next project Stefan can hope to influence is the successor to the Continental GT, which is going to make extensive use of Porsche engine, transmission and chassis technology. Beyond that, the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept might be approved for production.

"Bentley is entering one of the most important phases in the company’s history, with significant plans for new models. With his experience, creative vision and passion for the Bentley brand Stefan Sielaff is perfectly placed to lead the design of our future models,"
said Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Durheimer.

Luc Donckerwolke's departure from Bentley

Luc Donckerwolke's departure from Bentley Motors comes just three years after being appointed. After joining the company in 2012, he oversaw a project to fix the EXP 9 F concept and the Continental Flying Spur.

The Belgian who has held official positions at Audi, Bentley, Skoda and Volkswagen, is most famous for his work at Lamborghini. The Gallardo and Murcielago.

"I would like to thank Luc Donckerwolke for the significant contribution he has made in his nearly three years at Bentley, overseeing the continuation of a very successful period, and I wish him all the very best for the future,"
CEO Wolfgang Durheimer added.

Editor's note: Volkswagen officials have a lot of mobility, don't they? They move to another country at a moment's notice.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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