autoevolution
 

Long-Serving Volkswagen Chief Designer Walter de Silva to Leave the Company

The pit Volkswagen finds itself in seems to get deeper with each passing day, so the German company will have to apply some serious cost-cutting over the next few years if it’s to survive.
Walter de Silva 1 photo
Photo: Volkswagen
All of the company’s departments are going to feel these financial restrictions to a certain degree, and the design office can’t make any exceptions. While Volkswagen is putting a painted veil over de Silva’s departure, saying it’s down to personal reasons, there are two ways you can look at it.

The first is that Walter de Silva feels cheated by the company he’s worked for during the past 16 years and doesn’t want to have his name tarnished any further, and therefore, he decided it was time to part ways.

The second is the exact opposite and implies that Volkswagen is letting go some of its key figures in an attempt to cut costs and restructure the organization. Walter de Silva would be an obvious target as he’s close to retiring anyway, and he also has a substantial salary as design chief of the whole Volkswagen Group.

The official story, however, as reported by Automotive News quoting some inside sources that wanted to remain anonymous, says that his reasons are personal. “He has reached an age where many people retire,” they say.

Walter de Silva is 64 years old - turns 65 in February next year - and has worked for Volkswagen Group since 1999, with the last nine as Group Design Chief. He had tight relations with Martin Winterkorn, the company’s CEO during the Dieselgate outbreak, who resigned on September 23.

Neither the company nor de Silva has made any comment yet about the departure. It is also unclear whether his position will be taken by somebody else or scrapped altogether.

Whatever the case, Walter de Silva’s departure is the first major figure leaving the company after Winterkorn himself resigned, and could be the first among other Volkswagen’s important figures to part ways with the brand one way or the other.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Vlad Mitrache
Vlad Mitrache profile photo

"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories