Autoblog

VW Group design chief Walter de'Silva reskins the Leica M9

Noah Joseph — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Volkswagen, Design/Style

Leica M9 Titanium by Walter de'Silva - Click above for image gallery

Walter de'Silva has worked his magic on countless Alfa Romeos, Seats, Audis and now, as head of design for the entire Volkswagen Group, is responsible for styling even more brands and their products than just about anyone in the industry. But he can now add one more to his resume: a Leica camera.

The iconic German optics company brought de'Silva in to give its compact M9 camera a bit of a make-over. Rising to the task, de'Silva refitted the camera in titanium, gave its screen a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, trimmed it in Nappa leather, a diamond-texture surface and even reworked Leica's famous logo, centering it above the lens like a hood ornament. A gun-holster-like shoulder harness completes the package as de'Silva follows in the footsteps of fellow car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, who designed for Canon and whose ItalDesign studio de'Silva's employers recently acquired.

Only 500 examples of the limited-edition, de'Silva-designed Leica M9 Titanium will be produced, fetching a suitably car-like $31,300 apiece. Zoom in on the images in the gallery below for a closer look.

Gallery: Leica M9 Titanium by Walter de'Silva

[Source: Leica via The New York Times]

VW Group design chief Walter de'Silva reskins the Leica M9 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta gets with the (American) program

Damon Lavrinc — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Volkswagen, First Drives

2011 Volkswagen Jetta - Click above for high-res image gallery

For Volkswagen of America, it doesn't get more brot-und-butter than the Jetta. Forced into the shadow of the best-selling Golf, VW Germany's refrain was "Sell more Golfs!" To which VoA would steadfastly reply, "Americans don't want hatchbacks!"

This went on for over two decades until the corporate mothership finally recognized that its compact sedan was what the people wanted Stateside. So for 2011, the Jetta has been restyled, reformed and reinvigorated with a new purpose: to take on the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, not to mention the Mazda3.

How? This story begins and ends with price. A 2011 Jetta in "S" trim will set you back just $15,995. Compare that to the 2010 model, which starts at $17,735, and the Civic and Corolla which clock in at $15,655 and $15,450, respectively. The "German premium" has finally been addressed. But at what cost? We trekked to San Francisco to find out.

Gallery: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta: First Drive

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta gets with the (American) program

First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta gets with the (American) program originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Walter de'Silva's forgotten 1999 Bugatti Concept

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:55:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Bugatti, Design/Style, Luxury

1999 Bugatti Veyron design proposal by Walter de'Silva - Click above for image gallery

The car you see here is not the latest special edition Bugatti Veyron, nor is it a Chinese knockoff of the extreme hypercar. It is in fact a 1999 Bugatti Veyron design concept built by then-SEAT head of design, Walter de'Silva. It seems Walter was asked to submit a design concept by then-head of Volkswagen Design, Hartmut Warkuss. Word came that VW head honcho Ferdinand Piëch was working on the revival of the Bugatti brand and he needed some proposals. This full-scale mockup was built and presented, but ultimately rejected in favor of Hartmut's own design. Thank goodness.

The de'Silva concept car languished in some dark corner until Quattroruote uncovered it and printed a spread on the car in August. Scans of that article have found their way onto the interwebs and ultimately into our own grubby little hands so we could share them with you. While there are some similarities between the de'Silva concept and the production Veyron, we're glad VAG decided to go with the Warkuss design. Based on the Giugiaro-styled Chiron 18.3, the Veyron ultimately looked much more sophisticated and elegant. Still, this concept lives on as a footnote in the long story of the world's most outrageous supercar.

Gallery: 1999 Bugatti concept by Walter de'Silva

[Source: Quattroruote via Coachbuild.com and ryanokeefe]

Walter de'Silva's forgotten 1999 Bugatti Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New VW Beetle coming in two years, Scirocco still not in cards for U.S.

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Budget, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Design/Style

Malibu Barbie VW New Beetle Convertible - click above for high-res gallery

We're in Wolfsburg, Germany right now for the launch drive of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf and we've just returned from a presentation at the company's design center with Walter de Silva. We'll have more on de Silva's comments a little later, but first, we did have a chance to chat with VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby about future products.

First up, despite de Silva's promise that VW wont do retro designs, there is a new New Beetle coming. When the NB debuted a decade ago, we lamented the fact that it officially carried the "New" prefix (unfortunately, Autoblog was not yet born so no one at VW heard our complaints). This time around it will just be called "Beetle." Contrary to some speculation that it might move to the NSF platform of the forthcoming Up! model, the Beetle will still ride on the Golf's chassis when it appears in two years. Jacoby didn't say how the next Beetle might change to meet de Silva's "no retro" statement, but it will continue to fill VW's niche quotient.

Speaking of niches, the Scirocco remains dead to us, despite the fact that Lower Saxony seems to be crawling with them. The problem, Jacoby explains, is that the Scirroco appeals to almost exactly the same buyers who opt for the GTI. Company research indicates that there would be almost no incremental sales increase with the Scirroco, instead it would just cannibalize the GTI. Why not just replace the GTI? Adding the coupe would be another niche product that requires more parts inventory, training, marketing dollars and so on. While we as enthusiasts might want another coupe, the numbers just don't add up for VW - especially when every Euro costs $1.47. Sorry.

Gallery: Malibu Barbie VW New Beetle Convertible

New VW Beetle coming in two years, Scirocco still not in cards for U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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