Kaban finished his role as chief designer of Volkswagen

Bentley is part of the Volkswagen Group, and Mindt will take over the new role in the Volkswagen brand from February 1, sources told Automobilwoche, a sister publication of automotive news. Kabaň became the chief designer of the Volkswagen brand in 2020, and now, according to sources, he will move to another unspecified position in the Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen is expected to officially announce the changes in the coming days.

Mindt’s successor at Bentley will be Tobias Sühlmann, who currently heads Bentley’s exterior design department. Solman started working at Bentley in October 2021, having previously worked at Bugatti, Aston Martin, McLaren and VW. Bentley is one of the ultra-luxury brands within the Volkswagen Group.

According to sources, the new Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer is not entirely enthusiastic about Slovák Kabana’s work. Cabane was asked to change the old style of the car Volkswagen Life ID, which was unveiled at the 2021 Munich Motor Show, and suggested a more modern design instead. The original concept was supposed to be a preview of the look of the VW ID’s base electric vehicle, which will be introduced in 2025.

According to sources, Kabaň’s design team also asked Schaeffer to rework the design of Volkswagen’s upcoming flagship, the Trinity electric car. Cheever wanted the car to look more like a crossover than a sedan.

The fifty-year-old Cabaye started his career as a car designer in 1999, specifically at Volkswagen. Within the group, he has worked for the Audi, Bugatti and Škoda brands. He became a star among auto designers at a young age, when he designed the first generation of the fastest supercars of the time, the Bugatti Veyron.

Until the beginning of 2017, he led the design team at Škoda Auto for nearly ten years, for example the current Octavia, Fabia, Superb, Kodiaq, Karoq and Kamiq emerged from his creative workshop. Then, within three years, he quickly replaced two more brands where he headed the designers: BMW and Rolls-Royce. In 2020, the “prodigal son” returned and re-joined the concern as chief designer of the Volkswagen brand.

Khalifa Kabaei also has a long career at Volkswagen. Fifty-three-year-old Mindt grew up in Wolfsburg, where Volkswagen is headquartered. Mindt’s father worked for Volkswagen as a designer.