The VW Group recently announced that Audi’s former head of finance and organisation, Rupert Stadler, had been appointed chairman of the Ingolstadt-based marque. The 43-year old Bavarian saw off Audi’s head of production, Jochem Heizmann, to succeed Martin Winterkorn.
By Gareth Dean
The VW Group recently announced that Audi’s former head of finance and organisation, Rupert Stadler, had been appointed chairman of the Ingolstadt-based marque. The 43-year old Bavarian saw off Audi’s head of production, Jochem Heizmann, to succeed Martin Winterkorn.
By Gareth Dean
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The VW Group recently announced that Audi’s former head of finance and organisation, Rupert Stadler, had been appointed chairman of the Ingolstadt-based marque. The 43-year old Bavarian saw off Audi’s head of production, Jochem Heizmann, to succeed Martin Winterkorn.
According to Audi, Stadler, who became a board member in 2003, will also retain his former roles when his new appointment becomes effective on January 1.
Winterkorn will continue to play a significant role in Audi’s operations, having been appointed head of a supervisory board at Ingolstadt, in addition to heading up the Volkswagen Group. He replaces the recently departed Bernd Pischetsrieder in both capacities.
There also appears to be trouble ahead for the VW Group’s struggling Spanish subsidiary, Seat, with indications that the marque may be put up for sale.
According to a recent interview with , close associates of Winterkorn said that he is considering the separation of Seat from VW and the possibility of selling the Spanish marque off… An ominous sign for Seat is its omission from Winterkorn’s current plans. Audi’s new A1 entry premium car for 2009 will not be manufactured at Seat’s facility in Spain – and that after the subsidiary was involved with the development of the A1, as well as the A3 Sportback.
The Spanish company hoped that the additional volume generated by manufacturing the A1 at its Martorell plant would have improved its profitability and capacity utilization in Catalonia. An agreement between Winterkorn and Belgian Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt, on December 1 has meant that production of the A1 will now move to VW’s Brussels factory.
VW brand chief, Wolfgang Bernhard, and outgoing VW chairman, Bernd Pischetsrieder, are both believed to oppose the sale of Seat. Pischetsrieder argued that selling Seat would enable a potential buyer to access insider knowledge and technical know-how the marque had gleaned from the VW Group.
However, given Pischetsrieder’s recent dismissal and Bernhard’s rumoured move back to DaimlerChrysler, it looks as if the future of the Seat brand may be on rocky ground.
