The US boss of Volkswagen kicks back in the middle of the exhaust scandal. The CEO Michael Horn leaves the company in mutual understanding with Volkswagen AG with immediate effect, announced the US subsidiary Volkswagen Group of America on Wednesday. Hinrich Woebcken, who has been responsible for Volkswagen recently already in the senior function for the region North America (USA, Canada and Mexico), attributing Horn’s activities at first transition times, it is called in the message. Horn had started the office until January 2014.
In the term of office of the 54-year-old, the disclosure of the affairs fell to manipulated exhaust values, which gelted into a heavy crisis the Group. The former corporate boss Martin Winterkorn had already returned in September 2015 after a few days before the US Environmental Stem EPA had made the scandal public. In Supervisory Board, the news from the USA wondered for surprise on Wednesday evening. This was particularly related to the time, after all, since the beginning of the Affare had already went to the country almost six months, threw it. Some of the overseers had already reckoned with the jerking way, namely before Winterkorn took his hat.
The Group is confronted with numerous lawsuits. It threatens billion penalty. Although it is half a year soon, that the debacle took its course, Volkswagen in the US does not come to rest. Only the day before the Wall Street Journal reported, citing insiders that the US government now Time determined for bank fraud and, possible Verstoben of tax laws against Volkswagen. Thus, higher bubgelder could be sent to the Group.
Also on the management side there was in the USA, where the Volkswagen sells did not even duck since the exhaust scandal, again and again. So originally the Fruhere Skoda Chief Winfried Vahland should take the North America business and thus there is still a post on Horn – so Volkswagen had announced at the end of September 2015. In October, however, it hung, Vahland leaving the Group. On his post then the Fruhere BMW Manager jerked Woebcken, which should now also guide the narrower US business.
Horn was considered a man of distribution, which had the jerk cover of the VW handler hardened by the exhaust scandal in the USA. In the negotiations with US resistances on a plan to eliminate the fraud programs, VW was able to achieve a breakthrough until recently. The Group is increasingly under prere. On the 24th. Marz 2016 runs an ultimatum of a US judge, where hundreds of civilians are tied up.