The former CEO of Volkswagen AG: Carl Hahn (archive image)
Image: dpa
Carl Hahn died in Wolfsburg at the age of 96. During his tenure as VW CEO, the group took over the Seat and Skoda brands and expanded the business to China.
Dhe longtime CEO of Volkswagen AG, Carl Hahn, died on Saturday at the age of 96. This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Hahn Foundation of the German Press Agency. The “world” had previously reported on the death of the former manager. Hahn fell asleep peacefully at home in Wolfsburg.
The manager, who was born in Chemnitz on July 1, 1926, had laid the foundations for the global corporation during his time as VW boss. During his tenure from 1982, the takeovers of Seat and Skoda fell. Hahn also began the company’s expansion into China.
Before his rise to VW boss, Hahn had managed the tire manufacturer Continental from 1973. Before that, he had made the Beetle big for Volkswagen in the USA. Even at an advanced age, Hahn supported early childhood education with his foundation. According to information from “Welt”, the funeral service will take place on January 24 in Wolfsburg.
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) tweeted in the evening: “We owe Saxony as much to few people as Carl Hahn.” This “great personality” brought the automotive industry back to East Germany and wrote Saxon history. With his death, Germany lost a “business captain” and Chemnitz a “great honorary citizen”.