Audi has appointed Massimo Frascella as the new head of Design. He is scheduled to succeed Marc Lichte, who will take a new role within the group, on 1 June.

Frascella, an alumnus of the Istituto d`Arte Applicata & Design in Turin, began his career at Stile Bertone. Positions at Ford Motor Company and Kia followed. Since 2011, Frascella (52) held leading roles at Jaguar Land Rover, most recently as Head of Design for both brands. Autocar Professional had exclusively reported that Massimo Frascella, design director of Jaguar Land Rover quit.the company. 

Massimo Frascella said: "Joining Audi is a very special moment for me.  I believe in the emotional power of design to inspire, connect, and drive change, and I am here to nurture and promote creativity as the beating heart of our brand."

Expounding on his philosophy, he said, "Simplicity is the essence of my approach to design. I am passionate about creating designs that are free from superfluous ornaments and do not merely follow trends. Instead, we will rely on a timeless and sophisticated design language." 

Over the coming years, multiple surges in technological innovation are set to decisively change shapes and functions across all vehicle segments. For this reason, Audi has recently restructured its design department to report directly to the Chairman of the Board of Management.

Predecessor Marc Lichte headed Audi Design since 2014. He joined Audi from Volkswagen AG, where he led the Exterior Design Studio. Lichte’s time at Audi saw new generations of serial best sellers introduced as well as the brand’s first standalone electric model series – the Audi e-tron, the e-tron GT, and the Q4 model family.

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said, "Marc Lichte shaped the evolution of the brand’s design into the age of electric mobility. We thank Marc for having been a creative mind and visionary for the face of the brand for a decade."