Grumblings by senior leaders at the Volkswagen Group about Audi’s performance came to a head Thursday as the premium brand’s CEO Markus Duesmann was given his walking papers.
He will be replaced by VW Group strategy chief Gernot Döllner starting Sept. 1, according to Audi. Duesmann, a former BMW executive who was named CEO in 2021, was thought to be in the hot seat.
VW Group CEO Oliver Blume grumbled about Audi’s performance in certain areas of the business recently, in particularly, innovation. Speaking at VW Group’s Capital Markets Day last week, he said the brand was “lagging the competition.”
To hasten change at the Audi Group, which includes Bentley, Lamborghini and Ducati, the brands were reclassified as progressive, reported Automotive News Europe. The move aimed to accelerate the pace of innovation and change.
Blume also told investors the brand was not only falling behind its competitors, like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but also it wasn’t living up to its potential. He specifically pointed to sales in China and developing electric vehicles more quickly as areas in need of improvement. At that point, it seems only a matter of time for Duesmann.
Paying the dues, man
“I would like to thank Markus Duesmann for all the important work he has done during his tenure at Audi,” said the Chairman of Audi’s Supervisory Board, Manfred Döss.
“He has brought great foresight and vision to planning and driving forward key strategic decisions, including, first and foremost, the electrification strategy. Audi will be able to build further on these cornerstones in the future”
“At this point in time, Gernot Döllner is the right person to further strengthen the company’s product strategy and its position in key markets. Together with the entire Board of Management, he will add the next chapter to Audi’s successful strategy implementation.”
Döllner has overseen the VW Group’s Product and Group Strategy and the General Secretariat since 2021. He joined Volkswagen as a Ph.D. candidate in 1993 and subsequently served in a number of management roles at Porsche AG, including as head of Concept Development and head of the Panamera Series.
“I’m honored and excited to be taking on this new role,” said Döllner in a statement. “Audi is a fantastic company with a rich history. I look forward to shaping the company’s future together with the entire team at Audi.”