Axel Andorff has been appointed SEAT’s new executive Vice-president for R&D, Research and Development, beginning on 1st March. With nearly 20 years’ experience at the carmaker Daimler, the new Vice-president will drive the company’s innovation projects, especially those involving car connectivity and electrification, as well as developing solutions and new forms of mobility.
As SEAT’s Vice-president for R&D, Andorff will report directly to company President Luca de Meo and have a seat on the Executive Committee. He succeeds Dr. Matthias Rabe, who will lead the new Technical Development Operations area at the Volkswagen brand after more than eight years at the Spanish carmaker.
The new Vice-president has close to 20 years' experience at Daimler.
“We will remember a before and after Matthias Rabe at SEAT. The work he has done on the product has made us one of the fastest growing car brands in Europe for several years now moving to the next level. Axel Andorff, to whom I extend a warm welcome, will have the exciting goal of consolidating future projects currently in progress and continue promoting innovation as the basis for the transformation we are implementing and that make SEAT already today a future-proof company” affirmed Luca de Meo.
Who is the new R&D Vice-president and what is he responsible for?
SEAT’s Research & Development Vice-presidency is responsible for the areas of Design, where all of the brand’s vehicles are conceptualised, and the SEAT Technical Centre, the knowledge hub where more than 1,000 engineers work to develop innovation for cars as well as future mobility solutions.
Andorff, 46, is a Mechanical and Economics engineer from the University of Kaiserslautern (Germany). He has developed his entire career at Daimler, where he began in 2000. Until last February, he was responsible for concepts of Mercedes-Benz’ electric and compact car architecture for the previous five years. Prior to that, he held various positions in the areas of Mercedes-Benz R&D and Purchasing. Among other things he was head of the first generation GLA, CLA and CLA Shooting Brake models. Moreover, he set up and headed Daimler’s purchasing in China, where he led the creation of the company’s purchasing network.
