Chongqing – Changan Automobile recently announced that former Volkswagen Group design chief Klaus Giciola will join the company as vice president and lead Changan Automobile’s global design department.
Zyciora may not be a familiar name to Chinese consumers, but it enjoys tremendous prestige in the international automotive world. Zyciora was Volkswagen’s head of design for 12 years, where he directed the design of the company’s globally popular Golf models from fifth to eighth generations. As Volkswagen transitioned to electric vehicles, he was responsible for designing the company’s key ID. Series models such as ID.3, ID.4, ID.6.
“What we are considering is giving Mr. Gisciola a higher level of responsibility for designing Changan with a global vision,” a Changan spokesperson said. “The design of brands such as Qiyuan and Deepal will be organized under his leadership.”
In the global context, Changan design has established an international professional layout as the hub of Changan brand. Currently, Chang’an has gathered more than 17,000 engineering and technical personnel from 30 countries.
In addition to China, we have established global collaborative research and development centers in locations such as Turin, Italy, Yokohama, Birmingham, Detroit, and Munich, each with a unique focus.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the European Design Center in Chang’an and the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Japan Design Center, demonstrating that Chang’an is carrying out development activities around the clock, transcending various geographical barriers.
In recent years, Chang’an has produced “national” models such as the CS and UNI series, and introduced new energy vehicle brands and products such as Alsvin, Shenlan, and Qiyuan, which are known for their distinctive designs. As Changan Automobile promotes its overseas strategy, there is an urgent need to hire global human resources who understand the global consumer market and have advanced design capabilities.
The addition of Zyciora represents an important step in Changan Automobile’s “vast ocean planning” and further advances the company’s overseas strategy and global position.
Changan Automobile Chairman Zhu Huarong believes that the global automobile market has entered a new growth era of new energy vehicles, and that new energy will be a breakthrough for Chinese brands to gain international recognition.