MG recruits Bugatti Veyron designer

The man who designed the iconic Bugatti Veyron has joined fast-growing brand MG as its new chief of design.

Jozef Kaban, 51, has been appointed as the Vice President of MG’s global design centre marking the latest step in a career that has included stints at Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, BMW and Rolls-Royce.

Kaban is a graduate of London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Art and most recently had returned to Volkswagen as its chief designer in 2020. That role resulted in some great designs, like the retro-futuristic ID. Buzz, but was ultimately was short-lived after Kaban was sidelined in early-2023 by VW CEO Thomas Shafer.

3

Kaban was reassigned into the newly created role of Creative Art Director in Potsdam to help develop “forward-looking mobility solutions” for VW.

A Slovak national, Kaban’s design career started in 1999 at the Volkswagen Group and included stints at Audi, Bugatti and Skoda. Notably, Kaban worked on the exterior design of the original Bugatti Veyron.

3

Kaban then left for the BMW Group and quickly shifted to be the head of design for Rolls-Royce, however that position only lasted six months.

“Jozed Kaban will significantly increase our design expertise and increase the level of internationalisation to acceleration SAIC Motors’ global market entry,” said MG’s parent company SAIC in an official statement.

We’ll have to wait a few years to see what Kaban can achieve at MG, however the brand will likely stay in the headlines this year as it celebrates its 100th anniversary.