Volkswagen on Friday selected former BMW executive Markus Duesmann to reinvent Audi as the German premium brand appears to have lost key engineering know-how and influence following the 2015 diesel-cheating scandal.
Duesmann will become chief executive of Audi and together with that he will take on board level responsibility for research and development at Volkswagen Group on April 1, 2019, the Wolfsburg-based multi-brand group stated on Friday.
Duesmann’s job will include infusing new meaning into the firm’s advertising slogan “Vorsprung Durch Technik”, or “advancement through technology” after Audi fired plenty of senior engineers following the diesel scandal.
“Markus Duesmann will do everything to unlock the huge potential of the Audi brand,” Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess stated at a press conference in Wolfsburg on Friday.
Audi’s works council chief, Peter Mosch, welcomed the appointment of Markus Duesmann. “From Markus Duesmann and his team, we expect the stable utilization of our factories and a more courageous approach.”
