Just ten years ago, the career of an automotive designer seemed quite predictable. If you were truly talented, you would eventually find yourself at one of the major European companies: Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Renault, or Ferrari. That is where the cars that became decades-long benchmarks were created. But the world has turned upside down. Today, everyone is heading to China—even top professionals with high salaries. They could be basking in success, collecting awards, and teaching students how to properly draft vehicles. Instead, they are packing their bags and relocating to Chongqing, Shenzhen, or Shanghai.

Why? Because China is no longer catching up—it is setting the rules. While Chinese cars were fodder for jokes in the early 2000s, Europeans now have no time for jokes. China produces more automobiles than any other country in the world, invests billions of dollars in electric vehicle development, and allows designers to create what is often impossible in Europe. At major European conglomerates, a single new model can take five or six years in development. By the time marketers, engineers, financiers, and a dozen committees approve it, the original design is already technologically obsolete.

Everything is different in China. A new car can be brought to market in two or three years, or sometimes even faster. Decisions are made much more swiftly, designers are given greater freedom, and management is willing to experiment. Klaus Ziciora himself later admitted that the pace of development in China is simply astonishing, with designers and engineers working virtually as one team.

It is no surprise that following Wolfgang Egger, Jiles Taylor, Chris Tomasson, and other European stars, another individual headed to China—someone without whom the modern Volkswagen would look entirely different.

Klaus Ziciora was born in Hamburg in 1961. He graduated from the Higher School of Arts in Brunswick and joined Volkswagen in 1989. His first major project was the interior design for the Volkswagen Golf IV. This fourth-generation Golf would later become one of the highest-quality cars of its time and would largely set the standard for the entire European C-segment.
After this, Ziciora’s career began to accelerate rapidly. In 2020, he was entrusted with the entire design of the Volkswagen Group—which includes not only Volkswagen, but also Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and other brands. For an automotive designer, there is no position above this.

It was under his direction that the Volkswagen Golf of the sixth, seventh, and eighth generations emerged. The Golf VII is considered particularly successful—a car that many journalists hailed as a benchmark of evolutionary design. The car barely changed externally, yet it began to look noticeably more modern, more upscale, and more composed. This is truly the Zuccari signature style. He never designed cars for shock value. His automobiles don’t shout; they speak with a calm, confident voice.

Another one of his works is the electric line of Volkswagen: ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.6, ID.7, and the futuristic ID.Buzz—all these vehicles emerged under his leadership. He was the one who had to conceive how Volkswagen should look in the electric age. The ID.Buzz proved to be particularly interesting. Designing a modern car that simultaneously evokes the legendary Volkswagen T1 microbus was nearly impossible—yet he succeeded. The vehicle looks contemporary while simultaneously generating a pleasant sense of nostalgia.

When it was announced in 2023 that Klaus was leaving Volkswagen to join the Chinese company Changan, many were surprised. Why would someone who had already reached the pinnacle of his career start practically from scratch again? The answer turned out to be simple. At Volkswagen, he maintained a massive system. At Changan, he was asked to build one. He became the company’s vice president and head of global design. He had at his disposal an international team of hundreds of designers working in China, Italy, Germany, and Japan.

The Deepal S05 lineup and the brand’s updated models were among the first to embrace this shift. A distinctly European approach is already evident in them: fewer decorative elements, cleaner body surfaces, more subdued proportions, and a significantly reduced urge to impress at any cost. This is a truly interesting hallmark of his work. While many Chinese cars previously attempted to simultaneously resemble a Porsche, a Tesla, a Lamborghini, and a spacecraft, Zicciora seems to be telling designers, «Folks, sometimes less is more.»