VW group design chief Walter Maria De Silva resigns

Walter Maria De Silva, head of the VW group design, has officially resigned from the company, though he will continue his association with the group in an advisory capacity. De Silva became the group's passenger car brand design head in February 2007. He will leave the company at the end of November, though a reason for his resignation has not been cited in VW's official statement.

De Silva joined the Volkswagen group 17 years ago when he became head of the SEAT design centre in 1998. In 2002, he was put in charge of the design of the Audi brand group, including Audi, Lamborghini and SEAT. Among the vehicles designed by De Silva are the Alfa 156 (1997) and 147 (2001), the Volkswagen up!, Polo and the Golf 6 and 7, Audi R8 and the Audi A5.

It is unknown who will replace De Silva, with many wondering if the position could be axed in order to grant greater autonomy to individual brands in the group.