Проф. Харалд Лешке

Професор Лешке е роден в Кьолн, Германия през 1947г. Завършва индустриален дизайн в Есен и работи над 30г. автомобилната индустрия като дизайнер на Мерцедес, основател и ръководител на дивизията по проектиране и дизайн на концерна. Ръководил разработката на дизайна на повечето коли от тази марка, които днес се движат по улиците на България, Европа и света. Разработвал проекти от семейни коли до суперавтомобили и концептуални модели. Преподавател в Германия, Унгария, Китай и България. Почетен професор на университета в Пекин, консултант за Brabus, автор за Top Gear, член на VDID –Verband der Deutschen Industrie-Designer, AHK – Indurstrie und Handelskammer Sofia, e-mobility Association, Bulgaria,  ACB Automotive Cluster Bulgaria.

Подробна биография – по-долу.

– 1947 Born in Cologne, Germany
– 1958 to 1968 Lived 10 years in Athens, Greece
– 1968 Finished the German High School (Deutsche Schule Athen, Doerpfeld-Gymnasium).
– 1969 to 1974 Studied Industrial Design at the Folkwang School of Design in Essen, Germany (Bachelor).
– 1974 to 1977 Postgraduate degree in the Experimental Environmental Design department at the State
University for Fine Arts in Braunschweig, Germany
– 1977 Master Graduation.
– 1978 Start as a car designer with the Daimler-Benz Group in the Exterior Design Department
– 1981 to 1986 Team Leader of the Exterior Design unit
– 1986 to 1988 First assistant of Bruno Sacco, who was head of the Daimler Benz Design
– 1987 Setting up the first Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Germany.
– 1988 to 1993 Manager of Advanced Design Studio Germany
– 1993 to 8/2007 Head of Mercedes Benz Advanced Design Studios:
Sindelfingen (Germany), Los Angeles (USA), Tokyo (Japan) and Como (Italy).
– 2001 Integration of Corporate Design
– 1982 to 2007 Lectureship for Automotive Design in the Transportation Design Department at
the “Hochschule für Gestaltung” in Pforzheim – as a representative of DaimlerChrysler
– 1994 Start of cooperation with lecturers and students of the Industrial Design Department
at the Beijing Academy of Arts and Design (now Tsinghua University Beijing)
– 1999 Awarded as an Honorary Professor of the Beijing Academy of Arts and Design in Beijing
– 2002 Start of a close relation to the Hungarian Budapest University for Design
in collaboration with Prof. Stefan Lengyel
– 2004 to 2005 Student Project “Maybach Excelero “with Transportation Design Pforzheim and Fulda Tire Company
– May 2005 Speed Record of “Maybach Excelero “in Nardo, Italy (351,45 km/h)
– September 2005 “Maybach Excelero” Presentation on IAA (Internationale Automobilausstellung Frankfurt)
– 2004 Start of the collaboration with the Technical University Sofia, Bulgaria (Design Department)
– 2005 to 2007 Student Sponsor Project “Univers – Automobile Made in Bulgaria” with TU Sofia
– 2006 to 2007 Build-up of one drivable prototype (based on smart for/four) and two 1:1 see-through Models
– May 2007 Final Presentation of Project “Univers – Automobile Made in Bulgaria” in Sliven
– since 1982 Invitations to many congresses and workshops world-wide as a speaker for design themes in general
and automotive design themes in special as well as jury member for design competitions
– August 2007 Retirement from DaimlerChrysler after 30 years in the Design Department
– September 2007 Start of “leschke.design”
– December 2009 Moving to Bulgaria to live in Sliven, Bulgaria (Freelance Designer and Daimler Senior Consultant)
Writer for Top Gear, Auto Motor und Sport and Auto Bild (Bulgaria)
– 03/2008 to 05/2010 Hired as a General Manager by Grisha Gantchev (Litex) to prepare the strategy phase before production
and build up the Litex Motor Company that started production of Great Wall brand cars in 2012 in Lovetch
– since June 2010 Concentrating on University teaching and working as a consultant for design and car projects
– 10/2011-12/2011 Teaching at Shenzhen University
– since 2002 to 2013 Teaching Transportation Design at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest
– since 2004 to today Teaching Transportation Design at the Technical University Sofia
– since 2019 to today Teaching Design and Design Management in the German Faculty of the TU-Sofia
– since March 2015 to 2018 Consulting for CRD (Brabus)
– since January 2015 Living in Sevlievo; Bulgaria

– Languages: German (mother language), Greek (speaking fluent), English (good), French (sufficient), Italian (sufficient), Bulgarian (basic)

List of Projects

Production-Cars:
– W 201 (190) Participation in Exterior Design
– W124 (E-Klasse) Participation in Exterior Design
– C 124 Participation in Exterior Design
– S 124 Participation in Exterior Design
– W 201 Sport Key Design for 190 E 2.3/16, Design Project Management
– W 126 (S-Klasse) Participation in Exterior Design (Facelift)
– R 129 SL-Klasse) Participation in Exterior Design, Design Project Management
– W 140/C 140 (S-Klasse) Participation in Exterior Design and Key Design for final model
– G-Modell (Facelift) Participation in Exterior Design, Design Project Management

Concept- and Research-Cars
– 1991 F 100
– 1991 C112
– 1993 Vision A, later A-Class
– 1993 SLK Advanced Design Proposals
– 1994 MCC (1. Advanced Design Proposals from US Studio), later Smart
– 1994 Family Car for China
– 1995 AAV (Advanced Design Proposals from US and Japanese Studios for M-Klasse)
– 1996 F 200 Coupé Study
– 1996 VRC Vario Research Car
– 1997 F 300 Life-Jet
– 2001 F 400
– 1997 Mercedes Maybach Concept Car
– 2005 Maybach Exelero
– 2007 “Univers – Automobil Made in Bulgaria”, a proposal for a car in the price segment of about 8000 €,
(One running prototype, two See-Through Models in 1:1 scale of a Tuning Version and a Station Wagon)
– 2012 E-Taxi-Shuttle – Platform-Project (TU Sofia and Sponsors)

Member:
– VDID –Verband der Deutschen Industrie-Designer
– AHK – Indurstrie und Handelskammer Sofia
– e-mobility Association, Bulgaria
– ACB Automotive Cluster Bulgaria