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Back to basics for VW, says Walter de Silva

By Adam Towler Motor Industry 25 June 2008 13:01 It was an odd place for an inside line into what future Volkswagens will look like, but when head of VW Group design Walter de Silva invited CAR to the old Fiat Lingotto factory in Turin - now a conference and shopping centre – we could hardly say no. De Silva described VW as being immersed in a 'process of defining their design language' which could be read as ‘we’re still sucking our designer thumbs to see what happens’. Audi, De Silva said, had already been through that process and its design DNA was ‘understood by everyone in the company, right down to the smallest details'.

Subaru Canada reveals ‘Driving Confidence’ contest winners

Subaru Canada has revealed the top three designs from its ‘Driving Confidence' competition. The Canadian division of the company collaborated with the artist web site deviantART and called for "original creations that celebrate the bold design, superior handling, and meticulous engineering that Subaru vehicles are renowned for." The challenge asked for competitors to push their creativity "to the limit", which many of them did with some impressively-abstract designs. The winner won $2,500 for "Born to Rally in the Snow," the second place received $1,000 for "Unleash the Beast," while third place was awarded $500 for "Subaru Slot Car Set." The runner-up was "Subaru Impreza WRC Rally 'The Pass 2'." All of the submissions are being displayed at Subaru's booth at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto and in the gallery above.

Porsche announces new Weissach design center and wind tunnel

Porsche is to invest around €150m into its Weissach development facility, including a new design center. The plans also include an electronics integration department and a state-of-the art, on-site wind tunnel, which is hoped will allow the company to realize an holistic approach to efficient design, with a strong focus on aerodynamics. When we spoke with head of Porsche design, Michael Mauer, at this year's Paris motor show, he also alluded to the fact that the Volkswagen Group's – and, more specifically, Walter de'Silva's – recent influence on the German manufacturer was shifting its attitudes: "The Volkswagen Group has a very good understanding of how much freedom a brand needs to keep its characteristics and with [Walter] as 'conductor', I feel a lot of support with design issues within the company," explained Mauer.