Volkswagen Group and Audi's supervisory boards reportedly decided to replace Audi's CEO Markus Duesmann at their Thursday meeting. The current head of the carmaker is expected to step down by September 1st and make way for his successor, Gernot Döllner.
The news was reported by the German magazine
Der Spiegel, and Audi confirmed the leadership change. While Audi did not provide a specific reason for Duesmann’s swift dismissal, the statement from Audi’s supervisory board chairman, Manfred Döss, indicates much: “Gernot Döllner is now the right person to continue and sharpen Audi’s product strategy and position in important markets.”
Markus Duesmann took over as Audi’s CEO as the successor to recently convicted Rupert Stadler. His tasks included resolving the diesel scandal, strengthening Audi’s technical development, and accelerating the brand’s transition to electromobility. Duesmann also worked to ensure that Audi would launch over 20 new models by 2025, with more than 10 of them being electric. “It will be the largest model offensive in the company’s history,” he said at the time.
Audi CEO Markus Duesmann to replaced by VW Group executive Gernot Döllnerhttps://t.co/jsmIQlHs5D by @SCOOTERDOLL
— Electrek.co (@ElectrekCo) June 29, 2023
Volkswagen Group and Audi’s supervisory boards reportedly decided to replace Audi’s CEO
Markus Duesmann, at their Thursday meeting. The current head of the carmaker is expected to step down by September 1st and make way for his successor, Gernot Döllner.
The news was brought by German magazine Der Spiegel, and Audi confirmed the leadership change. While Audi did not provide a specific reason for Duesmann’s swift dismissal, the statement from Audi’s supervisory board chairman, Manfred Döss, suggests much: “Gernot Döllner is now the right person to continue and intensify Audi’s product strategy and position in important markets.”
Markus Duesmann took over as Audi’s CEO as the successor to recently convicted Rupert Stadler. His tasks included resolving the diesel scandal, strengthening Audi’s technical development, and accelerating the brand’s transition to electromobility. Duesmann also advocated for Audi to introduce more than 20 new models, with over 10 of them being electric, by 2025. “It will be the company’s largest model offensive in history,” he said at the time.
Photo by Audi USA
Who is the new CEO of Audi, Gernot Döllner?
Gernot Döllner previously oversaw the overall strategy and general secretariat of the Volkswagen Group. Prior to that, he served as the head of Porsche’s concept development until 2021, where he was responsible for the Panamera model line. He is considered one of the closest collaborators of Volkswagen Group’s CEO, Oliver Blume, whom the supervisory board sees as an outstanding team player.
In the announcement about Duesmann’s replacement, the chairman of the supervisory board, Döss, thanked Markus Duesmann for his important work during his tenure at Audi, particularly for his foresight and vision in planning and implementing key strategic decisions, including electrification. Audi will be able to build upon these foundations in the future.
However, the specific changes that the future holds are yet to be seen. Gernot Döllner, who will become the CEO of Audi in September of this year, stated, “I am honored and excited to take on this new role. Audi is a great company with a rich history. I look forward to shaping its future together with the entire team.”
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