The Man Behind the Lines
Director of Volkswagen design, Klaus Bischoff
reveals Volkswagen’s new design philosophy in
a new coupe concept
I arrived at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) last January to capture the thoughts of Klaus Bischoff, Director, Volkswagen Design. Today, he is sharing the hard work of his team in unveiling the long-awaited New Compact Coupe, commonly abbreviated NCC. The actual powerplant showcased in the NCC was a 1.4-liter gasoline hybrid powertrain capable of 150 horsepower and 40-plus miles per gallon.
The Volkswagen press conference that came mid-morning at the show was swarmed by journalists. Reporters of all media types—local, regional, national, international—all clamored for a clear view of this new coupe. Volkswagen had done a good job keeping the design under wraps until today and kept their reputation for revealing surprises. Along with famed designer and head of Volkswagen Group design Walter dé Silva, Mr. Bischoff unveiled the NCC.
The lines of the NCC are distinct, taut and crisp—leaving one with a visual interpretation that is forward-looking, yet at the same time retains a truly Volkswagen feel, and from certain angles, notable evocations of previous Volkswagen designs—such as the much-loved MkIV Jetta sedan and Corrado. Indeed, this reveal showed decisively that the coupe is back.
After the fervor of the press conference, I was able to interview Mr. Bischoff and found him to be affable, humble and approachable—quite enjoying his role, and deferential to his design team—a true Volkswagen team player. Although his words were precise and measured and had a good dose of German accent, excitement and intensity were apparent.
The Volkswagen display was expansive and intensely bright. The reveal platform was a huge rotating dais presenting the NCC beneath a stunning overhead image display that stretched horizontally the entire width of the stage, providing atmosphere and showing the coupe’s details in imagery.
Klaus Bischoff on...
What are the messages that the new Volkswagen design direction conveys?
“The new design direction of Volkswagen shows a very clear, unmistakable design—we want to be outstanding, very attractive, very precise and very valuable. Proportions, architecture, technology—all this is melding into a very clean statement that we want to give with the design.”
And this is reflected in the new Touareg...?
“It was a very demanding project for us...the car looks completely new. It has a new, more dynamic exterior design. It features a very interesting interpretation of the new design—the new face of Volkswagen... it appears more compact, more light, more dynamic.”
Personally, what part of the car do you find most inspirational to work on?
“The face. The face is giving character. The face is giving the expression that you want to create, so for me, this is the most important area of the car.”
This New Compact Coupe you’ve shown today is a hybrid—What values does this new design convey?
“We are responsible for the environment, we are responsible for the cars that we build. We also want to show this in the design of our products.... With the new NCC, we can see how we think a car should look—very attractive, very nice, desirable—and a true Volkswagen.”
The design cycle for new models seems to be getting shorter and shorter. Do you feel you’ve met your marks?
“The true task is to develop simultaneously so many new products...I think we’ve done this very successfully, with all the new cars that will come to the market, you will see that we’ve developed a very strong design identity.”
Will this be evident in the cars that will be built in the Chattanooga facility in the near future?
“Absolutely. What we want to do is to create cars that are truly made for American customers. We listened deeply to what our experts here in the American market told us about the demands of the American customers...”
What is Volkswagen able to do with design, and how do you view the designs found in other manufacturers’ brands?
“Design is able to create very character-full cars and outstanding personalities...this is one of our strongest goals...and with our clean, puristic design, we believe we set marks in the industry.
“If you look too much on the designs and cars that other manufacturers are displaying or doing, it’s easy to fall into the trap of orienting your design language toward the others. That’s wrong...we want to be unique, outstanding, and we want to create a very, very strong design language.”
Where do you get your inspiration from?
“What gets me excited is art. There’s advertising art, there’s sculpture, very rich objects in terms of surfacing...if you read a lot and if you’re walking around open-eyed, you see the trends coming...and I believe to be a designer in a company like Volkswagen is one of the most inspiring jobs you can possibly have. To be creative is a process that starts or speeds up in the dialogue between creative people...the dialogue is firing it up. The work that we do together as a team...that’s what is leading the creative process. That is truly inspiring. There is this fever that goes on when you create a new design, and that is very interesting and motivating.”
Design Trends Volkswagen New Era Design DNA
All great designs and brand traits follow what designers call “language.” It’s what a particular facet of the overall design impresses upon those who view it. Volkswagen, along with Klaus Bischoff, has endeavored to break new ground in designing cars of the future. In keeping with this language, the new era design DNA encompasses these key stylistic traits:
Simplicity+
fewer lines that clearly define the shape, leaving little ambiguity
Purity+
true to a family resemblance, not easily confused with other brands, true in purposefulness
Refinement+
of its technologies and quality, evoking strong impressions of capability, user-friendliness, durability and long-lasting quality
By combining these traits, Mr. Bischoff and his team have been able to translate these qualities into the NCC (New Compact Coupe) and numerous upcoming models, many of which are yet to be seen—we’ll be eagerly waiting.
A Brief History of Major VW Coupes
Using the classic sporty coupe layout of two doors and tapering rear roof-line profile, Volkswagen has produced many all-time favorites:
Karmann Ghia 1955-1974
Even though the original Beetle was somewhat of a coupe shape, it was the Karmann Ghia that gave America its first love with the sporty Volkswagen coupe.
Fastback 1965-1973
Still sporting a trunk in the front, but with a new, low-profile, air-cooled engine, the Fastback provided another trunk space in the rear for maximum cargo in a sporty package.
Scirocco 1974-1988
The original Giugiaro Scirocco coupe design of the Scirocco I combined sports-car performance with Rabbit hatchback versatility and thrift. Although technically a hatchback, the Scirocco I evoked the coupe persona to a tee. The Scirocco II enhanced dimensions of performance even further with its 1.8-liter, 16-valve engine.
Corrado 1989-1995
The last of the Volkswagen sporty coupes, until now. Hailed by Volkswagen enthusiasts as well as fans of sporty performance driving, the Corrado, in spite of its limited production numbers, made its mark in the 1990s as a definitive sporting coupe that has lasted up to the present day.