Winterkorn, the former head of premium brand Audi who replaced Bernd Pischetsrieder at the helm of the world’s fourth largest carmaker this month, plans to recreate centralised positions on the management board for group-wide development, production and sales that previously were unified in two individual brand group chiefs.
He also is expected to dissolve both brand groups, now broadly arranged around the ‘VW’ and ‘Audi’ marques, and divide them into traditional premium and volume brands. That would mean Bentley and Bugatti would be regrouped along with Audi and Lamborghini, while SEAT would be assigned to VW and Skoda.
‘Starting from a blank sheet like that may be designed to establish Winterkorn’s authority and end any potential power struggles,’ said Global Insight automotive analyst Thomas Ryard. ‘A centralised structure would prevent little empires arising that compete with each other,’ he added.
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