Ralf Brandstaetter to replace Herbert Diess as Volkswagen CEO

Ralf Brandstaetter will be promoted from his current role of the chief operating officer to the chief executive officer at Volkswagen Passenger Cars on July 1, 2020.  Herbert Diess will remain the CEO of the Volkswagen Group. 

In a major development, Volkswagen has announced that Ralf Brandstaetter will replace Herbert Diess as the brand’s new chief executive officer. Volkswagen said Brandstaetter, who is currently the company’s chief operating officer, will assume his new role from July 1, 2020, while Diess will continue to be the chief executive of the VW Group, which includes brands like Audi, Bentley, Ducati, Lamborghini, and Porsche.

Brandstaetter, 52, joined the Volkswagen Group in 1993 and has held various positions within the brand so far, which also includes a brief period at VW-owned Seat brand in Spain. In 2015, Brandstaetter was appointed a member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, and three years later, he was appointed as the COO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars in 2018.

In an official statement, Volkswagen said, ‘The main objective will be a stronger focus on the tasks at the top level of the Group and the brand in the current transformation phase of the automotive industry.’

However, as per some reports, the change in management comes in view of the differences between Volkswagen’s labour leaders and managers over new cost-cutting plans and the company’s increasing focus on future electric cars. As a result of this, Diess has been freed from his role as the CEO of the Volkswagen brand and will now solely focus on the entire group’s operations.

In related news, the new management shuffle at Volkswagen has also resulted in the departure of the procurement and components chief, Stefan Sommer.

Also read, 

2021 Volkswagen Arteon teased ahead of June 24 online debut 

Volkswagen Das WeltAuto 3.0 offers digital pre-owned car services