The embattled VW group has confirmed that Porsche chairman Matthias Mueller will take command of the group that is under fire from all sides.
Matthias Mueller, 62, has been in VW management group since 1978, including Audi, Seat and Lamborghini.
He succeeds Martin Winterkorn, who fell on his sword last Wednesday in the wake of the worsening scandal that affects approximately 11 million VW-built diesel passenger cars in the world-wide emissions broo-ha-ha.
Mueller has released a statement, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation.”
“Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.”
With the cost of recalls being in billions of dollars, and projected fines from the US regulating authorities also in the billions, it is no small wonder than VW shares have plummeted.
Volkswagen Group deputy chairman of the supervisory board Berthold Huber said: “The test manipulations are a moral and political disaster for Volkswagen. The unlawful behavior of engineers and technicians involved in engine development shocked Volkswagen just as much as it shocked the public. We can only apologize and ask our customers, the public, the authorities and our investors to give us a chance to make amends.”
