Audi Design Chief Quitting This Month

Wolfgang Egger, chief designer for Volkswagen AG's Audi and Lamborghini units for the past six years, is leaving his job at the end of December, according to today's Auto Bild.

The German magazine says Egger will move to VW's Italdesign Giugiaro contract design affiliate. His replacement will be Marc Lichte, a senior designer for VW brand vehicles.

Egger led the design team for Audi's latest A3 small car and A6 large sedan. Lichte helped design the VW Golf.

Reuters cites an unidentified source who says the management shift may have been driven by concerns that Audi's exterior designs are getting stale and that the brand's high-end and sporty models need a more distinctive look.

The news service notes that Egger's departure follows four others by senior Audi executives. The most recent was technical development chief Wolfgang Duerheimer, who was fired in June after nine months on the job.