Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Audi, Volkswagen
VW CEO steps down, Audi exec steps up
Volkswagen's CEO, Bernd Pischetsrieder will resign by the end of the year to make room for Audi's head, Martin Winterkorn. The move came as a surprise, as VW's board voted to extend Pischetsrieder's contract through 2012.The soon-to-be-former CEO has been with VW since 2000, succeeding Ferdinand Piech who stepped down in 2002. Supposedly, Pischetsrieder will be taking on "special assignments" after his departure.
We're unsure about why this move is taking place, so we'll be scouring the web for rumors and conjecture in the meantime.
[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dr. Woo 4:59PM (11/07/2006)
Winterkorn will be good for VW-Audi as a whole. He's done some great things for Audi.
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MH 5:21PM (11/07/2006)
Ferdinand Piech is still very much the top dog at Volkswagen.
He is, apart from being the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, and as such the principal representative of the controlling shareholder of VW, the Porsche family, also chairman of the powerful VW supervisory board which controlls just about all that goes on in the company, including apointing members to the standard board of directors.
I wouldn't be surprised if the reason for the shakeup is that Dr. Piech and Dr. Pischetsrieder don't see eye to eye about VW's ongoing powerstruggle over truckmakers MAN and Scania.
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Alex 5:39PM (11/07/2006)
Hip hip hooray!!
Two years ago Pischetsrieder nixed Winterkorn's plan to reposition Audi as performance rear-wheel drive brand (with awd staying as an option).
Hopefully, now that Winterkorn is the big cheese, he will proceed with that plan!
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Bruce 7:12PM (11/07/2006)
Maybe his replacement will solve the mystery of how to find salesmen who don't insult your intelligence, or mechanics who can actually fix cars.
Till they get their act together at the dealer level, it doesn't really matter what they do. They'll have to sell at discounts to induce people to buy and deal with all the hassles.
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the dude 7:23PM (11/08/2006)
If only he had his chin resting on his fist.
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Daniel David 7:38PM (11/11/2006)
"Maybe his replacement will solve the mystery of how to find salesmen who don't insult your intelligence, or mechanics who can actually fix cars."
Wow, that is some seriously inflammatory language. As a former Audi Dealer employee, one who worked among the upper ranks and attended regional Audi and VW dealer meetings, I would have to seriously disagree with you.
I'm sorry that your experience did not match what I am familiar with, but the dealers here in the Northeast very much have it together and are doing a wonderful job in both sales and service.
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