The Volkswagen Group has announced a top-level managerial change at Audi with current CEO Markus Duesmann set to be replaced by Gernot Döllner. The change in management is the result of a resolution passed by Audi’s Supervisory Board on June 29. Reports claim that senior management at Audi were not happy with the brand’s performance in recent years with VW Group CEO Oliver Blume also recently highlighting the brand’s slow progress on innovation as a concern. Audi has fallen behind rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW in recent years, particularly in the push towards electrification.
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Duesmann has headed Audi since early 2020.
Duesmann joined Audi as company CEO in early 2020 having previously worked with rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW. He replaced then-CEO Bram Schot who himself had been elevated to the position in 2018 after the arrest of Rupert Stadler over the infamous Dieselgate scandal. Duesmann helmed Audi through the covid-19 pandemic as well as the ensuing global supply chain issues stemming from both the pandemic and Russia’s war with Ukraine. Duesmann also oversaw Audi take the lead in the co-development of the new PPE EV architecture that would underpin a range of future models from the VW Group’s brands. The project over the years suffered from multiple delays with the first models only expected to be unveiled later this year.
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“I would like to thank Markus Duesmann for all the important work he has done during his tenure at Audi. He has brought great foresight and vision to planning and driving forward key strategic decisions, including, first and foremost, the electrification strategy. Audi will be able to build further on these cornerstones in the future,” said the Chairman of Audi’s Supervisory Board, Manfred Döss, adding: “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.”
Audi has seen notable delays in the development of the new PPE platform that will underpin its upcoming all-electric models.
Döllner is a veteran of the VW Group having joined the company in 1993 as a PhD candidate and going on to hold managerial positions with Porsche. He also headed the Panamera series for the German sportscar brand between 2011 and 2018. In 2021 he took over the role of overseeing the Group’s products and strategy.
With inputs from Reuters
