Autoblog

Bentley/Bugatti chief Durheimer moving to Audi in management shake-up

Noah Joseph — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:04:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Volkswagen

Running a high-end automobile manufacturer like Bentley or Bugatti has got to be a dream job for most any business executive. And Wolfgang Dürheimer gets to run them both - but not for much longer, according to the latest reports coming in from trade publication Automotive News Europe.

According to ANE, the former Porsche development chief is set to move to Audi in a broad management restructure aimed at reducing the average age of Ingolstadt's seven-member management board. In his new capacity, Dürheimer (53) is tipped to replace Audi's current development chief, Michael Dick (60), who is expected to retire later this year.

Along with Dürheimer, Volkswagen marketing director Luca de Meo (44, formerly of Fiat) is expected to replace Audi sales chief Peter Schwartzenbauer (60), while Volkswagen purchasing manager Bernd Martens replaces his Audi counterpart Ulf Berkenhagen, who will take up the same role at the group's commercial vehicles division. Audi production chief Frank Dreves is also expected to leave his post, though no replacement was named in the report.

Of course with any game of musical chairs - or "Reise nach Jerusalem" as they call it in German for some reason - replacements will need to be found for the positions being left vacant. We'll be watching who is named head of Bentley and Bugatti, both roles that Dürheimer assumed from Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen (pictured above at right), who last we heard was still in the group organizing its classic vehicles division.

Bentley/Bugatti chief Durheimer moving to Audi in management shake-up originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 May 2012 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Bentley coming down to SUV decision as 2011 figures return it to profitability

Noah Joseph — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Crossover, Bentley, Earnings/Financials, Luxury

After two consecutive years posting losses in its balance book, Bentley is back in the black as the figures came in for the close of 2011. But don't think for one minute that the ultra-luxe British marque is about to stop there. No, Bentley's new CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer (pictured above, right) has big plans for the company, and having headed product development at Porsche for years, that can only mean one thing: more new vehicles. More types of vehicles, more bodystyles and more derivatives.

The biggest potential item in the pipeline is an SUV, a plan which Bentley has had in the making for some time now and which Dürheimer recently indicated in a conference call will be decided on soon. The Bentley of sport-utes would be significantly more upscale than anything currently offered, with a price tag upwards of $140,000, with underpinnings borrowed from the Porsche Cayenne which Dürheimer helped launch himself.

Beyond the SUV, the Bentley chief executive also hinted at a new sportscar range that would include a two-seat coupe, a hardtop convertible and even a racing version. The model would likely take the fight more directly to Aston Martin, against whose smaller GTs the larger Continental GT range currently competes with.

On the sales front, The Flying B was the first automaker to report its December figures and the 2011 calendar year as a whole, with global sales up 37 percent last year to 7,003 units. Sales for December were also up 69 percent versus 2010 to 1,059 cars, which Bentley claims is its second-best sales month of all time and best since the recession began.

What's more interesting is how Bentley sales break down geographically. The U.S. remains the brand's best-selling market with 2,021 cars sold, but sales in China "virtually doubled" last year to 1,839 units. In fact, the Chinese had already bought more Bentleys by last July than they did in all of 2010. With that kind of momentum, China should easily overtake the U.S. as as the automaker's best customer base in 2012. Even struggling Europeans managed to increase their appetites, buying 53 percent more last year than the year before. Follow the jump for the latest statement on Bentley's financial health.

Continue reading Bentley coming down to SUV decision as 2011 figures return it to profitability

Bentley coming down to SUV decision as 2011 figures return it to profitability originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Could Bugatti manage a two-car lineup?

Noah Joseph — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Bugatti, Luxury

For as long as anyone can remember, Bugatti has been a one-model marque. For the past seven years, that model has been the Veyron. Before that, it was the EB110. In the 1950s, it was the Type 101. In fact, you'd have to go back to the late 30s to find more than one line of vehicles coming out of Molsheim, when the Type 57, Type 46 and Type 55 all shared the same facility. But that could come about again if Wolfgang Dürheimer gets his way.

The former Porsche R&D chief who recently took the reigns at Bugatti and Bentley says that, even with the Veyron's lifecycle running at a characteristically rapid pace towards the setting sun, the company has yet to finalize plans for its successor. The four-door Galibier is the leading option, but Dürheimer reportedly isn't satisfied leaving it there.

According to reports, the Bugatti chief would like to see a proper successor to the Veyron joining the Galibier in the company's product portfolio. Of course, that's what his predecessor wanted, too, but maybe Dürheimer will have better luck extracting the necessary funding from the Volkswagen board to make a two-model Bugatti line-up a possibility.

Could Bugatti manage a two-car lineup? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Porsche 918 road car will be the Spyder

Noah Joseph — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Hybrid, Performance, Porsche, Racing

Porsche 918 Spyder - Click above for high-res image gallery

Porsche has unveiled two very different versions of the enticing 918 project. First came the 918 Spyder at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, and then the German automaker took the wraps off the 918 RSR in Detroit. While the former was Porsche's vision for a roadgoing hybrid roadster, the latter took the form of a fixed-roof racing coupe. The question on everyone's minds, though, is what form the eventual production version will take.

According to reports, while the racing version will retain the fixed roof and upwards-hinged doors of the RSR concept, the roadgoing version will offer the wind-in-your-hair experience of the Spyder. Autocar states that the production model will feature a removable roof panel, much like the Carrera GT. Confirmation reportedly comes from Wolfgang Dürheimer, Porsche's outgoing VP for product development who is switching to head up Bentley and Bugatti, not to mention taking the reigns at Volkswagen Group's motorsports division.

Gallery: Porsche 918 Spyder concept

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Porsche 918 road car will be the Spyder originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Paefgen retiring at Bentley, Dürheimer appointed chairman and CEO

Zach Bowman — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Bentley

The game of game of CEO musical chairs at Volkswagen is still underway. Wolfgang Dürheimer (at right), formerly executive vice president of Porsche, is now the chairman and CEO of Bentley. Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen (above), the company's current CEO, will retire in February after eight years of leading the ultra-lux brand. Though he's hit the traditional German retirement age of 65, the well-regarded exec is slated to stay on the payroll as a consultant for VW and an adviser for Bentley.

Dürheimer, 52, has a long history in the automotive and motorcycle worlds. He joined up with BMW in 1986 and held lead roles in product development for the Roundel's two-wheeled operation as well as research and development for the company's passenger car division before moving to Porsche in 1999. While there, he helmed the 911 line before heading up research and development for the sportscar maker.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

[Source: Bentley]

Continue reading Paefgen retiring at Bentley, Dürheimer appointed chairman and CEO

Paefgen retiring at Bentley, Dürheimer appointed chairman and CEO originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments