Former BMW Manager Woebcken to Lead Volkswagen in North America
Former BMW Group chassis manager Hinrich Woebcken will head Volkswagen in North America, the automaker announced Tuesday. Woebcken will take over April 1.
Woebcken takes over the position from former Skoda chief Winfried Vahland, who was tabbed for the new position last year, but resigned three weeks later.
Volkswagen of America President and CEO Michael Horn will report to Woebcken, according to a statement from the automaker, but it’s unclear what Horn’s duties will be under the new North American chief.
“The USA is and will remain a key core market for the Volkswagen brand. That is why the North America region must be steered in the interest of our customers and dealers there. With his international experience Mr. Woebcken will make an important contribution to the brand’s positive development in the region,” Volkswagen brand CEO Herbert Diess said in a statement.
Woebcken was manager for “driving dynamics” at BMW Group, which included managing production for all the brands’ chassis components. Woebcken left BMW in 2014 for Knorr-Bremse Group, a brake manufacturer in Germany. According to Reuters, Woebcken left Knorr-Bremse last year.
(Photo courtesy Knorr-Bremse)
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Horn better get his resume out....because he is not long at VW
Somebody put his mouth on crooked.
For a company whose current woes are due in part to the German auto maker culture, VAG certainly doesn't seem to be looking outside of that culture.
Is it just me.....but it seems that all of VAG’s frontmen look like they could of been officers in the Waffen-SS.