Porsche CEO Matthias Müller takes over at VW as #dieselgate toll rises to 5million cars
Porsche CEO Matthias Müller has been announced as the new CEO of the Volkswagen Group in the wake of the #dieselgate scandal.
THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP has announced that current Porsche CEO, Matthias Müller, will take over the role of VW Group CEO left vacant when Dr Martin Winterkorn resigned over the discovery of an emissions ‘defeat device’ fitted to around five million Volkswagen vehicles around the world.
In announcing Müller’s appointment, the interim Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, Berthold Huber, underscored: “Matthias Müller is a person of great strategic, entrepreneurial and social competence. He knows the Group andits brands well and can immediately engage in his new task with full energy. We expressly value hiscritical and constructive approach.”
Bernd Osterloh,Chairman of the Group Works Council, commented: “When it comes to leadership appointments the Volkswagen Group does not need hasty decisions. We know and value Matthias Müller for his determination and decisiveness. He does not work on his own, rather he is a team player.That is what Volkswagen needs now.”
Matthias Müllersaid:“My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry. If we manage to achieve that then the Volkswagen Group with its innovative strength, its strong brands andabove all its competentand highly motivated team has the opportunity to emerge from this crisis stronger than before.”
And Müller will need all of his strategic and entrepreneurial skills in his new job with the additional announcement that a staggering five million vehicles carrying the type EA 189 diesel engines all carry a ‘defeat device’. These vehicles include, the sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf, the seventh-generation Volkswagen Passat and the first generation Volkswagen Tiguan.
But, VW added, all new VW vehicle meet the EU6 norm are not affected and this includes the seventh-generation Golf and some Passat models.
Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand stressed: “We are working at full speed on a technical solution that we will present to partners, to our customers and to the public as swiftly as possible. Our aim is to inform our customers as quickly as possible, so that their vehicles comply fully with regulations. I assure you that Volkswagen will do everything humanly possible to win back the trust of our customers, the dealerships and the public.”
“The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand will inform all markets worldwide how many of vehicles are affected locally. We are working intensively on remedial measures in close coordination with the certification authorities. The vehicles are and remain technically safe and roadworthy,” VW said in a short statement.
There has still been no word from VW Australia as to how many cars are affected, or what the maker will do. Stay tuned.
