Volkswagen Group gets new Head of Design

Volkswagen has announced that Andreas Mindt, Head of Design Volkswagen Brand, will now additionally take on responsibility for Design for the Volkswagen Group starting 1 March 2026. Mindt succeeds Michael Mauer, who Volkswagen states is leaving the company on amicable terms.

Andreas Mindt began his career in the Volkswagen Group in 1996 after graduating with a degree from the Pforzheim University School of Design. By 2014 he had already held several positions at the Volkswagen brand, working on the design of the first generation Tiguan and on the exterior design of the Mk7 Golf, among other things.

From 2014 until 2021, he spearheaded the realignment of Audi's exterior design from the Audi A1 through to the Audi e-tron GT and from the Audi Q3 through to the Audi Q8. From 2021, as Director of Bentley Design, he was tasked with defining Bentley's new design language, unveiled last summer with the Bentley Batur. He has held the post of Head of Design at the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand since February 2023.

Michael Mauer, meanwhile, took over in 2004 as the fourth Head of Design in Porsche's long history, preceded by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Anatol Lapine and Harm Lagaay. 

Mauer studied automotive design at the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences and joined Porsche following stints at Mercedes, Smart and Saab. At the beginning of his tenure at Porsche AG, he was responsible for the revision of the Cayenne, the new Panamera and the 918 Spyder. Since January 2023, he has acted as Head of Group Design for the Volkswagen Group while retaining his position at Porsche.