17 Sep 07
One of the more interesting concepts at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show was Seat's Tribu design study, a precursor to the Spanish company's first-ever SUV, which will be launched in the next few years.
The man behind the concept is Luc Donckerwolke, Seat's new chief designer, who arrived at the company last year after nine years at VW Group sister brand Lamborghini.
Donckerwolke is a fascinating man with an even more fascinating past, having lived and been educated all over the world. Born in Peru, he was educated in various South American and African countries before going on to study industrial engineering in Brussels and transportation design in Vevey, Switzerland.
His CV, dominated by his time at the VW Group's range of brands, shows a rich history of projects including the Audi A4 Avant, Audi R8 racer, Skoda Octavia, Skoda Fabia and the Lamborghini Gallardo and Murcielago.
Donckerwolke faces an interesting challenge at Seat: to provide the platform for a brand that some industry analysts are questioning the need for: what does it bring to the VW Group? The products he creates over the next few years will have to attract enough customers to convince the brand's naysayers that it has a future in a group that features a line-up of strong brands - and that's before you even start to consider the role of the company that has recently become a major shareholder, Porsche.
4Car spoke to Donckerwolke at the Frankfurt Motor Show just after the unveiling of the Tribu to find out more about the car and the challenges ahead.
