Audi Hires Jaguar Land Rover Alum as New Head of Design

On June 1, Audi will have a new Head of Design – and it’s someone whose most recent experience places them in an ideal spot to succeed Marc Lichte. (Lichte, as per Audi’s announcement, is remaining at Audi in a different role.) Succeeding Lichte is Massimo Frascella, who was previously Head of Design for Jaguar Land Rover — and whose work there, as Autoblog reports, includes several versions of the Discovery as well as the Evoque and Jaguar’s foray into electric vehicles.

What can we expect from him in his new role at Audi? “Simplicity is the essence of my approach to design,” Frascella said in a statement. “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.”

In some ways, this echoes comments he made in a 2021 interview with Automobile Daily on the new Range Rover design. “The Range Rover is a design icon, so it needs to move forward in every area including design, but we really wanted to focus on the reductionism here and making modern luxury more understated,” he said at the time.

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Audi CEO Gernot Döllner also addressed Frascella’s arrival at the company. “Massimo Frascella will ensure Audi vehicles are going to embody the brand’s identity through an unmistakable and emotional design language,” Döllner said. “Clarity, precision, and perfect proportions are at the center of his design philosophy — qualities that seamlessly fit into the image of the Audi brand.”

There’s one more thing of note when it comes to Frascella’s design sensibility: he’s very enthusiastic about watches. Whether that will be discernible in his automotive work remains to be seen.