By Baron Henri Estramant & Christoph Haebler.
Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany: Volkswagen has appointed Matthias Müller, the head of its Porsche sports car brand, as its chief executive, as the fallout from the USA vehicle emissions test rigging scandal broadened.
Matthias Müller, 62, had been widely tipped to succeed Martin Winterkorn, who resigned his executive post on Wednesday, 23 September 2015. Müller shall take responsibility for steering Volkswagen through the biggest business crisis in its 78-year history. Additionally he will also remain at the helm of Porsche until a replacement has been named. Müller has led Porsche (which is owned by Volkswagen) since 2010.
Müller, who has worked for parts of the Volkswagen empire since the 1970s, is a management board member of Porsche SE, and deemed a confidante to the Piëch-Porsche family that controls Volkswagen through the holding company.
The research and development chiefs of Audi and Porsche, Ulrich Hackenberg and Wolfgang Hatz, have been be relieved of their duties by the supervisory board as well as Volkswagen’s top executive in the United States, Michael Horn.
For more information:
Volkswagen Cars and SUVs: www.vw.com
Porsche: www.porsche.com/
About Matthias Müller: www.newsroom.porsche.com
Profile of Matthias Müller on fortune.com: http://fortune.muller/
Audi: www.audi.com/index.html
