VW Group Announces Three New Department Chiefs In Reorganisation

The management restructuring of the Volkswagen Group is still ongoing since news of the diesel emissions cheating scandal first emerged three months ago.

In the latest move, Volkswagen is tweaking the upper-echelons of its management which will see the number of top managers reporting to new chief executive Matthias Muller almost halved.

Starting in the first quarter of next year, Volkswagen will appoint Ulrich Eichhorn as the new research and development chief, taking over from Ulrich Hackenberg. Eichhorn has been working for VW since the 1990s and has also served as the managing director of the German Association of the Automotive Industry. His new role comes after Hackenberg was suspended and subsequently resigned from VW.

Elsewhere, the German marque has appointed a new design chief in the form of Michael Mauer, replacing Walter de Silva. Mauer has been the design chief of Porsche since 2004 and should prove exceptionally valuable for the Volkswagen Group.

Finally, Ralf-Gerhard Willner has been named the new product chief and key strategist for VW Group’s modular platform. He too has a wealth of experience within the automotive industry having worked for Audi, VW and even Italdesign Giugiaro.

According to VW Group chief executive Matthias Muller “The team in the CEO’s area of responsibility is almost complete, with excellent colleagues from within and outside the group taking up the new posts. We are focusing in particular on the technological changes that impact the future of mobility—from electrification to the digital transformation.”

Note: Matthias Muller pictured.