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Working at Volkswagen Design: finding the right way to turn visions into reality

1.: Concept car

Learn more about Volkswagen Design, the involved departments, the design process and the jobs we offer.

5 min read

Volkswagen is transforming the future of automotive design

Our Volkswagen Design Team is setting future trends and turns visions into reality. Driven by a passion for detail, our designers create a unique driving experience for our customers, who are always at the core of our development processes. For this, close collaboration with the Development engineers is essential. It is only when we consider form and function, design and technology together that we can achieve the perfect proportions which are the foundation of fascinating automotive concepts.

Portrait picture Andreas Mindt, Head of Volkswagen Design

Dynamic appearance and high-quality materials are what make our cars so impressive
Andreas Mindt
Head of Volkswagen Design

Brief overview

Figures on Volkswagen Design: 400 creative minds from 24 nations work at 6 locations worldwide. The proportion of women is about 25 percent

What we do
In short, our designers work continuously to develop series models and impressive show cars that impress with their dynamic appearance and high-quality materials. With empathy, excitement, innovative designed and a great deal of creative finesse, we are taking Volkswagen beyond the concept of a brand to create a ‘love brand’, and thereby we are shaping the future of the automotive sector.
Where we work
Our Volkswagen Design teams work in close collaboration with our six regional design studios:
Wolfsburg (Germany)
Oxnard (USA)
Puebla (Mexico)
São Paulo (Brazil)
Changchun (China)
Shanghai (China)
How we work
In the Design department, our teams use agile project management methods to ensure plans and implementation processes are as accurate and effective as possible. By using design thinking methods, we can tackle challenges with flexibility and creativity.
Our teams are diverse and international. We also work closely with our global design studios to develop exciting ideas, designs, approaches and solutions by incorporating different cultural aspects and perspectives. For this reason, we generally use English within the team, although a wide range of other languages can also be heard.
Who we are looking for
We are looking for creative minds who bring a mindset full of curiosity, passion, professionalism and ambition. Grow with us and show us what you have to offer! We offer the following opportunities for starting your career at VW:
Internships
Student positions
Permanent positions for career starters
Permanent positions for experienced professionals

In detail:
Working at Volkswagen Design

Throughout the development process, numerous colleagues in various design departments work hand in hand to bring together form and function and thereby design lovingly crafted Volkswagen vehicles. In addition to attention to detail, our design teams are also driven by our style-defining design DNA.

Design Management

The elaborate design process requires the development of a design strategy, its realisation and communication. In addition, the complex vehicle projects require intensive project management, financial planning and resource management. The Design Management team takes on these diverse administrative tasks across all countries and series and thereby grants the creative freedom that our creative minds need to develop new vehicles.

An image of a blue ID CODE next to a mother and child holding a flower

1.: Concept car

1.: Concept car

The Exterior Design department is responsible for the body design of all cars developed by Volkswagen around the world. Here, we are transforming the status quo across the entire spectrum of vehicle into the future.

The exterior designers at the Wolfsburg site work closely with other Volkswagen Design studios with the result that new ideas take shape through joint exchange. Although we are constantly reinterpreting and reinventing our cars, drawing inspiration from various sources, we are committed to the continuous evolution of the Volkswagen models. This continuity is our unique selling point in the volume segment. Alongside the style-defining design elements from icons such as the Beetle, Camper and Golf I, our teams also incorporate other key design features such as precision and clarity in the proposals to ensure a timeless design and therefore valuable products. At the same time, we believe in innovatively designed details, because without the dynamic light staging and interaction concepts, the unmistakable Volkswagen signature would be missing.

Our Exterior teams are supported by the Feasibility subdepartment, which is responsible for realization design drafts and models. The Feasibility team is therefore involved in the second half of the development process and translates the design drafts into a feasible production vehicle by creating high-quality data or working models. In doing so, the team works alongside the designers on site and all development partners from Volkswagen Research and Development as well as Planning and Production.

A rendered image of a Volkswagen concept car with open doors from a bird's eye view

1.: Concept car

The designers and modellers in the Interior department are responsible for creating the interior. It is important for our interior designers to determine the limits of feasibility as effectively as possible together with their development partners. This leads to progressive solutions that encompass other areas such as the integration of the interface design. In addition to intuitive operation, the design team also ensures that design and functionality harmonize and that a balance between maximum functionality and a high-quality ambience is given.

One of the challenges in creating the vehicle interior stems from the fact that the driver and passengers sit in the space and experience the design up close. This means that all the elements need to be precisely and uniformly coordinated (in terms of form, ergonomics, colour, haptics etc.), which in turn requires exceptionally high design quality and a passion for detail.

The interior designers also see our show car projects as an opportunity to go one step further and combine new forms of architecture and innovative technologies with HMI staging and topics such as background lighting and sound. In this way, we are constantly reinterpreting the high expectations of design innovations and design quality while setting early trends.

The Interior department at Volkswagen includes the Feasibility subdepartments, which are responsible for implementing design drafts and models. This means that these teams are particularly involved in the second half of the development process and translate the drafts into a feasible production vehicle using high-quality data or working models. As such, the Feasibility teams are a key partner within the design data process, and for all development partners across Volkswagen Research and Development, as well as Planning and Production.

1.: Concept car

The task of the Visualisation department is to visualise, present and communicate our creative ideas in an appealing and engaging way. After all, extraordinary ideas, innovations, high quality and new technologies are critical factors for Volkswagen success.

Through the targeted combination of individual abilities, the Visualisation team is able to showcase the full range of 3D visual display options: from the basic idea, to the look and feel and creation of 3D animations, and the design of high-quality print media. Our competent, creative and innovative team supported the latest hardware and software, brings new ideas to life with the utmost precision, prompt processes and impressive attention to detail.

The graphic shows a collage with a sofa corner, an orange ball and a woman on which numbers are projected

The Color, Material, Finish (CMF) design department develops the colour and material concepts for vehicle components that are perceived visually and haptically by our customers. By using innovative materials, elegant finishes and coordinated colours, our designers perfectly showcase the high quality of a Volkswagen and make it a sensory experience. The CMF team therefore works in close collaboration with Interior Design colleagues to develop trim combinations and design packages. In this way, they are able to emphasize the segment, character and positioning of the new model early in the development process using material and colour collections and ultimately offer opportunities for vehicle customisation and differentiation.

At the same time, the team works closely with suppliers and manufacturers to develop, for example, various sustainable materials and paints ready for series production and thereby support us in the creation of a sustainable design. Again, the passion for detail is clear in every Volkswagen, with up to 40 different materials precisely processed and carefully aligned.

Working at Volkswagen Design: finding the right way to turn visions into reality

Volkswagen is transforming the future of automotive design

Brief overview

What we do

Where we work

How we work

Who we are looking for

In detail:Working at Volkswagen Design

Design Management

In detail:
Working at Volkswagen Design