Volkswagen names another new executive, but still no diesel fix in sight

By Stephen Edelstein January 19, 2016

Volkswagen — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Volkswagen continues to shuffle executives as it looks for a way out of the ongoing diesel scandal. The company faces mounting pressure from regulators and outraged customers to find a solution, but still hasn’t announced a recall of its U.S. diesel cars.

What it did do is appoint Hinrich J. Woebcken head of the Volkswagen brand in North America. Woebcken will be responsible for all activities related to the Volkswagen brand (not the other car brands controlled by the VW Group) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. VW says his appointment is an important part of an ongoing effort to streamline corporate infrastructure.

Recommended Videos

The move also makes Woebcken chairman of Volkswagen Group of America, Volkswagen Mexico, and Volkswagen Group of Canada. However, current VW Group of America CEO Michael Horn will retain his post.

The 55-year-old Woebcken comes to Volkswagen from Knorr-Bremse, a German company primarily known for supplying braking systems for commercial vehicles. An industrial engineer by training, his experience is primarily in purchasing and supply chains. Previous automotive experience includes a decade-long stint at BMW beginning in 2004.

The diesel scandal has made it a particularly bad time to be a Volkswagen Group executive. The shakeup began when VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn stepped down, and was replaced by Porsche CEO Matthias Muller. R&D boss Ulrich Hackenberg and head of design Walter de Silva subsequently stepped down as well, and were replaced by Ulrich Eichhorn and Michael Mauer, respectively.

Meanwhile, it’s still unclear when Volkswagen will begin recalling the defective diesel cars, including 482,000 TDI models with 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engines, and an additional 85,000 with 3.0-liter V6 engines. The California Air Resources Board recently rejected a proposed fix for the 2.0-liter cars, and hasn’t weighed in on a proposal concocted by Porsche and Audi for the 3.0-liter models.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Hyundai 2025 Ioniq 5 is under $44,000, with more range and NACS port

hyundai ioniq 5 44000 nacs 64149 large631652025ioniq5xrt

Hyundai is on a roll. In October, the South Korean manufacturer posted its best U.S. sales ever, largely driven by sales of its popular Ioniq 5 electric SUV.

Now, all eyes are on the Ioniq 5’s 2025 model, which is set to become available at dealerships before year-end. As Digital Trends previously reported, the crossover model adds a more rugged-looking trim level called XRT and provides additional driving range as well as new charging options.

Cars

Mazda confirms a hybrid CX-5 and electric SUV are on the way

mazda hybrid cx 5 electric suv 2024 arata concept 4

Mazda might be making headway in the pursuit of bringing back an electric vehicle (EV) stateside.

Ever since it discontinued the MX-30 EV in the U.S. last year, the Japanese automaker has had zero EV offerings for potential U.S. customers.

Cars

Range Rover’s first electric SUV has 48,000 pre-orders

Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition

Range Rover, the brand made famous for its British-styled, luxury, all-terrain SUVs, is keen to show it means business about going electric.

And, according to the most recent investor presentation by parent company JLR, that’s all because Range Rover fans are showing the way. Not only was demand for Range Rover’s hybrid vehicles up 29% in the last six months, but customers are buying hybrids “as a stepping stone towards battery electric vehicles,” the company says.