Photo: Akio Lorenzo OYA
Buongiorno! This is Akio Lorenzo Oya, a journalist based in Italy.
This time, we discussed how the company, with its 56-year history and under the Audi umbrella, should tackle the significant challenges it faces.
Joaquin Garcia
After studying Industrial Design at Cardenal Herrera University (Valencia), he obtained a Master's degree in Vehicle Design from the Royal College of Art in London in 1998. Following his work at Renault, Ford, and Škoda, he served as Head of Exterior Design at SEAT/CUPRA starting in 2015. After heading the European Design Center at China's NIO, he was appointed Head of Design, overseeing both car and product design, at Italdesign in March 2023.
Photo: Akio Lorenzo OYA
Q: It has been 14 years since Italdesign became part of the Volkswagen (VW) Group, specifically under the Audi Group, which includes Bentley, Lamborghini, and Ducati. What aspects of Italdesign’s tradition do you wish to preserve?
JG: Being part of the VW Group is a great fortune. VW is one of the most powerful automotive groups in the world and offers tremendous potential in R&D and innovation. I am extremely proud to be benefiting from that strength.
The DNA of Italdesign remains unchanged and will continue to stay that way. This company was founded by designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and engineer Aldo Mantovani, who, from the very beginning, placed designers and engineers on equal footing. At the same time, the company aimed to offer services to clients around the world, and that remains true today. While our primary business is with VW Group brands, we also work with various automakers from other European manufacturers and countries across the globe.
This unique position is incredibly fortunate. While being part of a large automotive group, we maintain direct contact with the global market. This brings mutual benefits. The people within the VW Group open their doors to the world, while the team at Italdesign gets the opportunity to experience a higher level of the global landscape.
However, the most important thing is confidentiality. Both the team and the company are well-versed in maintaining confidentiality. From the workspaces to the IT systems, each project is completely independent. Customer focus and strict confidentiality are constants at Italdesign. We approach our work with the mindset that if we fail in this, the company would cease to exist.
Q: On the other hand, what aspects of Italdesign would you like to change moving forward?
JG: I believe we should become more of a partner in innovation for our clients. We shouldn’t be just a supplier who gets called when something needs to be done. Instead, we should stand alongside our clients, form teams with them, and be a source of inspiration.
As the world changes, we too must change, grow, and learn. Our latest concept car, “Quintessenza by Italdesign,” is the first tangible example of this ambition. We aim to inspire the industry. Of course, I understand that saying it is easy, and executing it is much more challenging, but we need to lead, not just follow, our clients.
We also need to address the aging workforce. Many employees possess vast experience, but at the same time, they are also getting older. On the other hand, we need to make the company younger, fresher, and more international. Strengthening communication in English, when necessary, is also important. Our goal is to become more global without losing our roots, identity, or Italian essence.
Q: Establishing an identity while pursuing globalization—it’s a challenging task, isn’t it?
JG: If we don’t define that clearly, we risk becoming irrelevant, especially in China. Many Western manufacturers, and even OEMs, are struggling to compete with Chinese companies because they haven’t found the answer. What is the best thing we can offer in their market? Finding that answer is not an easy task.
Before coming to Italdesign, I worked for a Chinese brand, and I have great respect for their companies and people. However, a report from the “VW Future Center Asia” in Beijing was quite shocking.
When Chinese consumers consider purchasing European brand cars, I expected that legacy would play an important role. However, a certain percentage of people showed little interest in it.
Instead, what they valued were factors like “whether it’s the latest” and “the price.” Moreover, there were even responses indicating that “they don’t mind if it’s a copy.”
We must face the reality that not everyone in the world shares the same values.
From a generational perspective, those who grew up under China’s one-child policy are now in their 20s and 30s and are becoming automotive customers. Raised with the warm affection of their parents, they are affluent and tend to prefer things that are fast and the latest in everything.
This is beneficial for the market and marketing, but design must not simply follow that trend. We must not lose sight of what mature values truly are. Otherwise, products will become something solely for those with more money.
It’s a challenging task, but also an opportunity. Rather than simply chasing the market, we should choose meaningful approaches.
Q: In organizations, designers and engineers sometimes find themselves in conflict. In Japan’s development system, there has been a long-standing culture where “designers are considered subordinate to engineers.”
JG: It was the same in Europe. One company that initiated change was Renault Korea Motors. They were among the first to place the design department directly under the CEO. The results of that decision are now becoming apparent.
Traditionally, design was reported first to the engineers. However, one of the emerging trends in the industry is a system where the design department reports directly to the CEO.
Q: In other words, what should the position of designers be, and how should their relationship with engineers be structured?
JG: Designers should be equal to engineers. This is because design holds not only aesthetic value but also strategic importance.
“However, that being the case, design work is not merely about creating skillful drawings or producing impressive clay models. It must be something more meaningful and strategic for the company.”
At the same time, designers need to collaborate with and respect engineers, as they are essential in design development and problem-solving. After all, the final product is neither a sketch nor a mock-up.
Design is always one of the key factors in the motivation to purchase. Except for extremely cheap cars, no one will buy an ugly car, even if it’s inexpensive. Incidentally, people looking for cheap cars don’t buy new ones. The competitor for cheap, unattractive cars is used cars.
Therefore, design should be more proactive, strategic, and multifaceted. It is necessary to go beyond the design language and carefully consider what the purpose of this car is and what it signifies. Collaboration with marketing experts, sociologists, and psychologists is essential to gain a full understanding. Traditional sketches and mere satisfaction from the designer alone are not enough.
Designers must understand the customer journey (Author’s note: the process in which a customer becomes interested in a product, purchases it, recommends it to others, and continues to buy it). The product remains at the core of after-sales service as well. While it is not the designer’s role to control this process, they should recognize that they are part of that flow and understand it in its entirety.
Q: Many automobile manufacturers are opening design centers and satellite studios abroad. In reality, are these effective as creative environments?
JG: Many of those studios are located in scenic areas or vibrant cities. However, while they can be effective, they sometimes allow the disregard or neglect of the company’s norms and strategies. I have witnessed this myself.
What satellite studios propose is often nice, but frequently not useful. This is because they often deviate from the original production process and plans. It is essential to be more conscious of the context in which they operate.
It’s not enough to simply place them in beautiful locations on a whim; it’s also important to consider the added value that establishing such studios can bring.
Q: What is the value of Italdesign being based in Turin?
JG: We are able to breathe in a deep automotive culture, as well as art, architecture, excellent cuisine, and an exceptional location. It is within this environment that we grow, learn, and continue to evolve. What’s important is that we must never stop moving forward.
The engineering team at Italdesign is outstanding. I have been in the world of automotive design for over a quarter of a century, but I have never seen such an extraordinary organization. The design, engineering, and production teams that support my work are all at the same high level, and they all operate as equals. This is the greatest legacy left behind by both Giugiaro and Mantovani.
Q: Lastly, as a side note, if you were to host a “dream dinner,” who would you invite?
JG: Of course, I would like to say Giorgetto (Giugiaro), but that would be too easy of an answer. I would invite Patrick Le Quément, formerly of Renault, and Chris Bird, formerly of Ford, both of whom I’ve worked with in the past. I would also invite Jeremy Offer, who is currently Head of Design at Volvo Cars, and Flavio Manzoni, whom I greatly respect at Ferrari.
I would also like to invite Dieter Rams, who worked on many products for Braun, and Jonathan Ive, formerly of Apple. To be honest, I would love to have more conversations with architects as well. Perhaps Mies van der Rohe and Norman Foster, who designed Apple Park.
And let’s invite Taylor Swift as well. Not only is she an exceptional singer, but she’s also incredibly creative, with outstanding performances. She’s a songwriter, her own producer, a business leader, and a social icon. Plus, she loves cars and drives a Bentley, among others. I’d love to have her sing for us too. Oops, it seems like there are more non-automotive guests on the list now!
From Akio Lorenzo Oya:
How did you find the two-part interview with Mr. Garcia? I believe you now have a clearer understanding of how he, as the leader of one of Italy’s premier automotive design R&D firms, calmly analyzes the current situation, inherits tradition, and works towards the future. I hope this report will serve as a guide for those working in design or aspiring to become car designers. With that, I bid you all “Arrivederci!” (Goodbye)!
From the Editorial Team: