Future Bentley-inspired Proton designs? Stefan Sielaff leaves Bentley for Geely

Stefan Sielaff, the designer of the Bentley Bentayga, Audi A7, and Audi A1, has left Bentley as its design chief. According to Automotive News, the designer may be joining Geely.

German press reports have said that Sielaff will take over Peter Horbury’s role as head of Geely design. However, the Chinese carmaker did not confirm the appointment, stating that Horbury remains senior vice president of design for Geely.

Sielaff has spent most of his career at the Volkswagen Group. He joined as an interior designer at Audi in 1990. In 1991, he designed the Audi Quattro Spyder concept car which was the progenitor to the Audi R8.

In 2003, Sielaff moved to Mercedes-Benz as the design director of Interior Competence Center in Sindelfingen. He returned to Audi in 2006 as Head of Audi Design. He later became head of VW Group’s design centre in Potsdam before becoming Bentley’s design boss in 2015.

Besides being Bentley’s head designer, Sielaff was also in charge of Volkswagen’s interior design strategies.

Sielaff’s position at the British ultraluxury brand will be succeeded by Audi’s head of exterior styling, Andreas Mindt in March. Mindt has spent the last six years working for the Ingolstadt brand and oversaw the exterior designs of the Audi Q8 and e-tron.