Currently reading: Former BMW executive named new Audi boss

Markus Duesmann appointed CEO of German firm, with Bram Schot out after less than two years

Former BMW executive Markus Duesmann has been appointed the new boss of Audi, with current chief Bram Schot leaving “by mutual agreement” after less than two years in charge.

Duesmann will take over from Schot as Audi CEO on 1 April 2020, after the appointment was confirmed by the German firm’s board today (Friday). The 50-year-old has worked in the automotive industry since 1992. He initially worked for Mercedes-Benz as a diesel engineer and had a spell working in Formula 1 as the head of development for the BMW Sauber team.

He joined BMW’s executive team in 2016, most recently serving as head of purchasing. He left in July this year and has been strongly linked to the Audi role since then.

Herbert Diess, the Volkswagen Group boss who chairs the Audi board, said: “As an excellent engineer, Markus Duesmann will do everything in his power to leverage the great potential of the Audi brand and will once again demonstrate the power of Vorsprung durch Technik.”

Schot, 58, had served as Audi’s sales boss until he was vaulted into the CEO role after Rupert Stadler was arrested in relation to the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal. He had started a programme of trying to simplify Audi’s line-up – with the company badly hit by delays in testing cars until the recently introduced WLTP test cycle – and increasing its focus on electrification.

Audi’s deputy chairman, Peter Mosch, said that Schot had been “the right man at Audi at the right time," adding: “He started a cultural transformation towards fewer hierarchies, a clear value system and more openness.”

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James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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catnip 16 November 2019

"he started a cultural

"he started a cultural trasformation towards fewer hierarchies, a clear value system and more openness"  Are VW group STILL trying to imply that anyone in their organisation could do anything without senior management knowing exactly what was going on?

Antony Riley 16 November 2019

Was also part of the

Was also part of the Dieselgate scandal brigade at BMW

Antony Riley 16 November 2019

Funny old world not

Funny old world not paticularly loyal is he to the people who emloyed him in the first palce