INGOLSTADT, Germany - On 15th September Luc Donckerwolke (40) will be appointed Director of Design at SEAT. Donckerwolke will also assume the responsibility for the Spanish company's Design Center. This is currently run by Steve Lewis who, together with Walter de'Silva, the Head of the Audi brand group design, was instrumental in implementing SEAT's new sporty and emotional design language. Lewis will take over new responsibilities within the Audi brand group.

Luc Donckerwolke will not leave Lamborghini design before completing the current model range with the open version of the Gallardo, to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show on Monday 12th September. A Belgian national but born in Peru, the multilingual son of a diplomat has always been a car fanatic. He is responsible for the design of all current models, the Murcilago, Murcilago roadster and the Gallardo coupe. He combined traditional elements with a radical new design and with innovations such as the moveable airducts on the Murcilago, giving the Italian brand the perfect expression of their key values: extreme, uncompromising and Italian.

To ensure continuity and the further development of the brand, Walter de'Silva, will assume responsibility for Lamborghini Design, until a successor for  Donckerwolke has been appointed. He sees the move as an expression of the synergies and the high level of cooperation between the three members of the Audi brand group, which was established in 2002.

The appointment of Luc is another important step in reinforcing SEAT's commitment to design. But I can guarantee that we will do everything to continue to focus strongly on Lamborghini design as well, since design is one of the core values of all our three brands. It is a decisive factor for customers and the visible expression of our advanced technologies and performance capabilities.