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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'.

Exclusive First Sight: Pininfarina Sergio concept

Upon receiving the call from Pininfarina's PR man, asking if Car Design News would like to head to Torino for a preview of its latest concept car (not a hard offer to accept), we had no other information than its name – Sergio – and an abstract teaser shot of a detail. Driving through lovely, crumbly Turin, and out into the zona industriale towards Pininfaina's Cambiano base, the fear strikes: what if the car's a disappointment? What if it's simply some unremarkable supermini – maybe even an electric one?

Who's Where: Jason Castriota joins Stile Bertone

Contrary to what was previously disclosed, Car Design News has now confirmed that Jason Castriota, who left his position at Pininfarina on the eve of the Paris Motor Show in September, is set to become Design Director at Stile Bertone. He will start his new position on December 1. Castriota had initially intended to set up his own design consultancy before being approached by Bertone.