Audi will replace CEO Markus Duesmann with Gernot Döllner – the current head of product for the Volkswagen Group – from 1 September.
The announcement of Duesmann’s exit comes shortly after Audi's Capital Markets Day, when Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume admitted that the brand's line-up is “lagging the competition”. He added that its “massive potential” has not been fulfilled in recent years, and that “we also faced severe software problems that delayed the launch plan of exciting electric products”.
Manfred Döss, chairman of Audi’s supervisory board, said in a statement: “At this point in time, Gernot Döllner is the right person to further strengthen the company’s product strategy and its position in key markets. Together with the entire board of management, he will add the next chapter to Audi’s successful strategy implementation.”
Döss added that Audi will be able to build on the “cornerstones” laid by Duesmann, including the brand’s electrification strategy. “Shaping Audi’s role as an independent brand with entrepreneurial autonomy within the framework of the VW Group will be of primary importance".
Döllner joined the Volkswagen Group while completing his PhD in mechanical engineering in 1993, and he has held several managerial positions at Porsche during his career. These included heading up the brand’s concept car development and the Panamera line.
Duesmann, in contrast, was poached from BMW under the leadership of former VW Group CEO Herbert Diess, whose downfall was rooted in the same software turmoil mentioned by Blume.
Duesmann was tasked with fast tracking Audi's electric vehicle development following the upheavals of the dieselgate scandal.
Under his leadership, Audi announced more than 20 new models and models revisions by 2025.
Additional reporting by Greg Kable
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