BMW picks Skoda exec to lead design at core brand

Kaban, 44, has been a key player in Volkswagen Group’s design department. He first made a name for himself in his 20s when he designed the Bugatti Veyron, a 1 million-euro plus supercar created under VW Group’s then-CEO, Ferdinand Piech. At 35, the Slovak national was put in charge of Skoda’s design. The promotion came in early 2008 when he was at VW Group sister brand Audi, where he was head of exterior design.

Kaban’s hiring was one of two key moves announced on Wednesday by BMW Group’s chief designer, Adrian van Hooydonk, who also promoted Domagoj Dukec, 41, to take over design responsibilities at BMW’s i subbrand and the M performance division.

Dukec, who penned the Concept Active Tourer during his time as BMW brand’s exterior design, immediately succeeds Benoit Jacob as design chief at BMW i.