Volkswagen is replacing the head of Audi after concerns that one of the German carmaker’s most profitable brands was lagging behind its competitors led to mounting tensions among executives within the division.
Audi said on Thursday that Gernot Döllner, who is currently VW’s head of strategy, will take over as chief executive of the Ingolstadt-based carmaker from Markus Duesmann, starting in September.
While Audi is still one of VW’s best-performing brands, VW executives in Wolfsburg have been concerned that the company had failed to keep pace with rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz in software and e-mobility. Questions had been swirling over whether the company could still live up to its slogan Vorsprung durch Technik, meaning “progress through technology”, according to industry executives.