VW's design chief vows new styling direction for 2015 Phaeton

If you hear the words 'One Direction', the British boyband may come to mind. But actually, it is also a reference to the styling direction for Volkswagen models, with some criticism pointing to the fact that all of them look alike.

Volkswagen's brand design chief Klaus Bischoff feels the pain of their car fans and agrees to the above statement.

Bischoff has slammed the current styling direction and called it a mistake. He revealed that Volkswagen will adopt a new top down approach when it introduces the next generation Phaeton in 2015. He explained, "Flagship models like the Phaeton should act as halo products and influence the way the other cars in the range look, rather than the other way round."

Bischoff also revealed plans to further differentiate the company's products by introducing unique styling elements to each vehicle type. He declined going into specifics but said, "There will be a specific look for saloons, one for our SUVs, one for the people carriers and one for our hatchbacks."

While the designs will become 'cooler', Head of Volkswagen Group Design, Walter de' Silva, previously stated that future products will have a 'clean and simple' philosophy which favours timeless grace over flamboyance. This would now mean that there is alot of work cut out for Volkswagen in order to grasp the perfect balance.