First appearance of Diess as VW CEO: This is “not a revolution,” says Herbert Diess

04/13/2018

First appearance of Diess as VW CEO This is “not a revolution,” says Herbert Diess

DPA

Herbert Diess

Timeshift in Wolfsburg: Herbert Diess takes over the post of Volkswagen CEO Matthias Müller, at the same time becomes the management structure of the group fundamentally rebuilt, manager-magazin.de shows you the first presentation of the new tour, here in the livestream. Below we summarize the most important statements.

10.30 clock: immediately the press conference in Wolfsburg begin. In advance, has already been chairman of the works council Bernd Osterloh laudatory about the new distribution of power at Volkswagen Show stock market chart uttered. Of course, he also has the rise of his temporary intimate enemy Diess with it more influence let buy.

Diess’ predecessor says goodbye with “thanks and pride”. The “Automobilwoche” quoted from a letter from Matthias Müller, who today is to go to the employees. He has learned a lot at the top over the past two and a half years “about our industry, the company and myself.” Volkswagen is “ready to make change courageous and consistent”.

10:36: Group spokesman Peik von Bestenbostel opened the round. Supervisory Board Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch begins: “Yesterday was an important day for the Volkswagen Group.” He framed the corporate restructuring with superlatives. Since autumn 2015, the “biggest crisis in the company’s history” has largely been overcome with the diesel scandal. At the same time, the entire industry is facing its “biggest ever” revolution with digitization, autonomous driving and electromobility.

“Both have mastered our company very successfully,” reports Pötsch (with only slight restrictions) – enforcement. Müller mastered the rescue of the largest German company with “bravado”. “Volkswagen emerges strengthened from the diesel crisis,” claims Pötsch. Müller himself is not on stage.

10:43: Pötsch explains the known since the Supervisory Board meeting on Thursday evening particulars, Herbert Diess kept next to the post of CEO, his previous position as VW Brand Manager. He will be joined by a Chief Operating Officer – a newly created job that should be filled as quickly as possible.

Porsche CEO Oliver Blume, already a kind of observer on the board, move up to full-fledged corporate board.

The works council official Gunnar Kilian replace HR Director Karlheinz Blessing.

And purchasing manager Francisco Javier Garcia Sanz will also be adopted.

10.45 clock: Now sounds pithy Bavarian in Wolfsburg. “There is no reason to change course,” explains the new CEO. Ex-BMW manager Herbert Diess, on the Volkswagen Board of Management since 2015, only wants to usher in a “second phase” of the Group’s restructuring. “It’s about development and not revolution.”

“A more subsidiary management of the group” is possible with the division into six brand groups and the region of China – that means more ownership of the groups combined in groups. “We create the conditions to become faster in decisions and their implementation.” Volkswagen is streamlining the management structure to become more agile.

10.50 clock: In a nutshell Dass has dealt with the “no revolution”, in which among others the heavy commercial vehicle division sent to the stock market. Sprecher Bestenbostel opens the question and gives the journalist half an hour. “We also have other important dates.”

This first explains the sorting of car brand groups in volume (VW, Seat, Skoda, but also light commercial vehicles and the new mobility subsidiary Moia), Premium (Audi) and Super Premium (Porsche, Bentley, Bugatti, “in perspective” also the Audi Daughter Lamborghini) follow the logic of the market position – how expensive the products can be sold.

10:55: The component factories, in the past, once the subject of speculation about stock market plans should be assigned to the purchasing board – a clear signal that Diess they see less as an integral part of their own brands than competitors of external suppliers for the cheapest offer.

With the motorcycle brand Ducati, the boss in the new structure does not seem to know what to do. The participation would be examined. Diess had previously said that fringe business could be sold.

11 am: Within a brand group, many decisions could be made in detail “faster and more efficiently” than at the group level, Diess explains the advantage of the new structure. The center should be “focused on the big strategic issues”.

“Porsche is very strong in production,” explains Diess, explaining why Porsche and super-premium boss Oliver Blume should also be responsible for production at Group level.

The distribution gets Audi- or premium boss Rupert Stadler, who is also a “very experienced” manager. The calls for Stadler’s dismissal because of his role in the diesel scandal have died down.

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