There were several rumors of a replacement. It has been clear since Friday: Herbert Diess is stepping down as VW boss. However, the manager remains with the group and continues to receive his salary.
According to group circles, Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess will continue to work for the company after his departure. The 63-year-old will initially remain as a regular consultant until the end of the contract in autumn 2025 and will continue to be paid, the German press agency learned. VW announced on Friday that the manager would hand over to Porsche boss Oliver Blume on September 1st.
Diess joined VW in 2015 and became CEO in 2018. Last year he earned more than 10 million euros, including expenses for later retirement benefits. Without the pension entitlements, it was almost 8.6 million euros.
According to the company, the decision to change personnel was “consensual”. This is how the chairman of the supervisory board, Hans Dieter Pötsch, thanked him. Diess “significantly pushed ahead with the transformation both during his time as CEO of the Volkswagen brand and of the group”. The former BMW manager pushed ahead with the conversion of VW in e-mobility and the expansion of the business to mobility services. However, there have recently been a number of problems, especially with the sluggish development of proprietary software.
Realignment of the software division expected
In the opinion of the car expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, Blume will also realign the Cariad software division. “Cariad will not stay the way it was,” said the Duisburg professor. “The plan to do everything independently and centrally should be reconsidered.”
VW actually wanted to have its own operating system for cars of all brands ready for use by 2026, but this is too late for Porsche. “In my opinion, the failures of the standard solution and the resistance from the individual brands will lead to a general rethinking,” said Dudenhöffer. Blume will probably continue Diess’ strategy except for the software area.
In addition to his position as CEO, the 54-year-old flower will also continue to lead the sports car subsidiary Porsche. VW CFO Arno Antlitz is to support him in day-to-day business for the entire group. One of Blume’s tasks was preparing for the Porsche IPO, which is planned for the end of the year. (dpa)