OPEL Edwin VW T5 - Manual (Page 20)

B U S I N E S S P R O D U C T S P R O J E C T S P R O C E S S E S B O U L E V A R D
erry Wolkind
doesn’t rely on
luck in his
work. “A vehicle has
about ten seconds to con-
vince a potential buyer. So
nothing must be left to
chance,” the head of the IVM Automo-
tive Design Center believes. “On the contra-
ry: design quality is based on a coherent con-
cept, and that’s the result of hard work by a
team of professionals.” A good designer, Wol-
kind is convinced, must always strike the right
balance between aesthetics and functionality
in cars and their components – and, of course,
their profitability for the manufacturer. It’s a
challenge that still appeals to the 55-year-old
Briton’s sense of adventure even after almost
40 years in the motor vehicle business. Not
only new technologies, but also the zeitgeist
always provide him fresh stimuli: “The retro
look, for example, would hardly have met
with demand in the market a few years ago.
But now some manufacturers are enjoying
great success with it. That shows they’re on
the right track.”
Wolkind and his team also have demon-
strated their good nose in the past six years.
Only set up as a separate unit in Rüsselsheim
in 1998, IVM Automotive was soon involved
in the development of the design concept of
the Opel Speedster – a concept that was very
important for the brand. In close cooperation
with Opel, IVM Automotive built first design
models that led to show cars presented at the
Geneva, Frankfurt and Detroit motor shows.
Under Wolkind, designs for a number of con-
cept studies on behalf of other OEM also
have been produced; numerous pictures testi-
fying to this activity adorn the walls of the
studio.
FROM SKETCH TO SHOW CAR
The Design Center skills have been steadily
enhanced by Wolkind since 1998: “Today, we
offer our customers the entire design portfolio
– from first concept sketches to drivable show
cars.” He has done particularly well with the
IVM AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN CENTER “Made in Germany” stands for precision
and reliability, for mechanical engineering and metal machining, but not for innovative
automotive design studios. Terry Wolkind and his team at the IVM Automotive Design
Center are out to change that.
Design from
Germany
VITA
Terry Wolkind (55)
The mobile Briton has always
been one to look beyond his own
island and his own nose. After
studying to become a body
design engineer in England, he
worked, among others, as a
designer at Ford and GM in the
USA; for an independent design
studio in England; and at Por-
sche, BMW and Opel in Germa-
ny. He has been head of the
Design Center at IVM Automo-
tive in Rüsselsheim since 1998.
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