“Eyes of Silva” (#1528)

Synopsis

Walter de’Silva, Head of Group Design, Volkswagen, Todd Lassa, Motor Trend, Jim Hall, 2953 Analytics. Topic: Volkswagen design.

About the time that the Doobie Brothers burst onto the ‘70s music scene with songs like “China Grove” and “Eyes of Silver,” the design eyes of Walter de’Silva were just coming into focus across the Atlantic at FIAT. Over the next 40 years his influence could be seen on not only European cars but eventually in global brands like Audi, Bentley and Bugatti as well. And now in 2011, as the current head of Volkswagen Group Design he is responsible for the look of every model that is created by the eight brands in the group. This week in a very special edition of Autoline, Walter de’Silva joins John McElroy, Todd Lassa from Motor Trend and Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics for a look inside the fascinating world of automotive design.