Bentley has announced that current design boss, Stefan Sielaff, will also assume responsibility for its personal commissioning division, Mulliner.

In his new role, Sielaff is expected to oversee exploration into one-off, hyper-luxurious coachbuilt cars.

“The possibilities with Mulliner are essentially endless – there is nothing our skilled coachbuilders cannot achieve,” says Sielaff. “I want to explore more one-off, bespoke vehicles where the only limitation is the imagination of the customer. Design and personal commissioning will go hand-in-hand and when that is the case, extraordinary things happen.”

Commenting on the appointment, Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley, said: “Exquisite styling and the ability to bring our customers’ visions to life has always made Bentley unique. Now, with Stefan Sielaff leading both teams, I am certain Mulliner will benefit strongly from his design leadership.”

Under Sielaff’s stewardship, the Bentley design team has already started to explore what the future of automotive luxury will look like for the brand’s wealthy customers.

For example, earlier this year they showcased their vision of a future electric Bentley – the EXP 12 Speed 6e concept – at the Geneva motor show. The show car demonstrated an evolution of Bentley’s current design DNA, while at the same time hinting at the brand’s future styling direction.

Bentley’s design team are also the current ‘Team of the Year’ title holders, awarded at the Automotive Brand Contest, hosted by the German Design Council.

Replacing Luc Donckerwolke, Sielaff joined Bentley in July 2015 from his previous role as design director at the Volkswagen Design Centre in Potsdam. Born in Munich, he holds a master’s degree in vehicle design from the Royal College of Art in London.

Tags: Bentley, car design, car designer, luxury, Mulliner, Royal College of Art, Stefan Sielaff, Volkswagen Group, Wolfgang Dürheimer