VW Will Design for America, Says Chief Designer

Looking out from a balcony above the Volkswagen pavilion at the Frankfurt auto show, Klaus Bischoff, chief designer for the VW brand, surveyed his creations.Mr. Bischoff, who has helped define VW’s design language, from the smiley face on the electric concept E-Up to the swoopy lines of the Passat CC to the stubby, uncluttered body of the new Golf, was dressed in a conservative suit. He spoke about his affection for America. “Designing cars specifically for the American market will pay off for Volkswagen,” he said. “At the moment, not one of those is being built. Our cars now are built for European roads. In the moment, we struggle. But wait.”



















Mr. Bischoff’s “wait” refers to the midsize car that will be built in a VW plant that’s under construction in Chattanooga, Tenn. The car is yet to be named, although it is due to start production in 2011. “For the U.S., I think attractiveness, quality and sustainability are the three most important factors,” Mr. Bischoff said. Considering the new model, he added, “the design must be unique, even though a sedan is a sedan is a sedan.”

Mr. Bishoff adheres to the company line — indeed, now the industry line — “that we manufacturers have to be responsible to the planet,” and cites the new Golf R as an example.

The R is the latest super Golf, an all-wheel-drive version powered by a 270-horsepower, turbocharged 4-cylinder. The engine is similar to the power plant in the Audi TTS. The fabric-and-leather seats are extraordinarily form-fitting. The R will be available in Europe early next year. It will be preceded in the United States by the 6-cylinder R32.

“We needed to reduce the gas consumption while keeping the fun,” said Mr. Bischoff. “If a customer demands performance, here’s our answer.”

What about the Phaeton, the large, expensive VW sedan that flopped in the United States and was withdrawn, although it lives on elsewhere? “The Phaeton was important for the brand,” he said. “It brought us a lot of new technology.” What about the slow-selling CC? “We all expected that, in a way.”

Mr. Bischoff said the Golf is among his favorite designs: “Classic.” He was reluctant to cite other favorites, but we asked him to keep it in the family. He said, “The Audi A5.”

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