Wolfsburg residents view Herbert Diess’ volatile Volkswagen Group CEOship as a failure. Diess, a former BMW executive appointed CEO in 2015, led the company’s abrupt switch to electric vehicles and created Cariad, an internal software development business. Both failed. Cariad has spent more than expected and struggled to produce software designs for Volkswagen Group’s MEB-platform electric vehicles on time, despite backing from Blackberry QNX. Cariad’s poor performance suggests that high-profit luxury Volkswagen Group EVs like the Porsche Macan, Audi Q6 E-Tron, Bentley, and Lamborghini are behind schedule. VW MEB-platform EVs are big, expensive, heavy, and unsuitable for passengers and cargo. Worse, Volkswagen ID cars look dowdy and low-class compared to their competitors. Diess had predicted a 30% higher demand for the IDs, which he called Volkswagen’s future following Dieselgate. Volkswagen discontinued manufacturing of the ID4 SUV and ID7 sedan in Emden, Germany, due to “strong consumer reluctance.” Andreas Mindt is busy. After graduating from Pforzheim University with a design degree, Andreas Mindt joined Volkswagen Design in 1996. He worked on projects like the Mk 7 Golf and the first-generation Tiguan SUV until 2014 when he joined Audi to create a new design language for the entire company’s lineup. In 2021, Mindt became Bentley’s chief of creation and directed the Mulliner-built Bentley Batur coupe, a car meant to embody the brand’s future design. Mindt recalls, “I wanted to stay there longer.” “My goal was to stay there for about five years and build Bentleys you could see on the street.” Following Diess, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume called Mindt back to Wolfsburg after the Volkswagen scandal. “I was possibly planning to return to Volkswagen later,” Mindt acknowledges, “but this is the right time; this is the right time to do Volkswagen design.” He rests. “And then modify it.” Mindt admits that the Mk1 Golf GTI, the original hot hatch, and the 23-window Microbus, superbly restored examples worth over $200,000, are more popular than Volkswagen’s ID models. He freely admits that their appearance matters. Besides the ID.3 hatch and the Buzz minivan, which have a Golf-inspired vintage look, Volkswagen’s design boss won’t argue that the ID Volkswagens are over-wrought and over-bodied. However, he notes that the cars were created for early EV adopters who wanted to try something new.15% of global sales and over 50% of Chinese sales are EVs. This company no longer leads. This is careful post-rationalization. By 2025, Volkswagen Group planned to sell two to three million EVs across all its brands. Wolfsburg also started ID car design. Not rough estimates. Volkswagen considers EVs mainstream, accounting for 20–25% of sales. Mindt’s main point—EVs no longer need to be visually distinct—is correct. Today, they’re vehicles, SUVs, or pickup trucks without an internal combustion engine. He says that by constructing an electric car, “you don’t need to persuade people.” “Don’t act or be too eager. Keep calm—excellent and relevant work. He says the Volkswagen ID2all concept he built and released earlier this year received rave reviews. The ID2all’s size and surface recall the Mk 4 and Mk 7 Golfs. It doesn’t appear electric. Mindt claims this is its draw. The ID2all previews the 2026 ID2 small EV hatchback and serves as a design indicator for Mindt’s next generation of Volkswagen ID vehicles. “I want to get this kind of stance in the whole portfolio,” he explains, pointing out how the bodywork drapes over the long track and how the bonnet and windscreen have more classic proportions. He said that everyone thought electric cars had small hoods and long windshields. Not so. Mindt says the ID2all will bring back Volkswagen interiors with a premium look and feel. He says smooth surfaces and soft trim replace ID models’ rough, cheap plastics. Mindt believes “we can build nice cars for nice people.” We succeeded. He thinks Volkswagens look and feel like 1960s Chevys and late 1990s Golfs and Passats. “This is the secret sauce.” “The car exceeds expectations, and you love it.” Love is our brand.
