The Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG has appointed BMW executive Herbert Diess as a full member of the Board of Management starting next October. This means that Diess – who was passed over for the top job at BMW in favor of Harald Krüger – will take over as Chairman of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand from Martin Winterkorn, who remains Chairman of the Group Board of Management.
Diess is currently the Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Development. There is no love lost between the two companies, particularly over the competing BMW and the Audi and Porsche brands at VW Group.
“With Herbert Diess we will be welcoming an outstanding personality and one of the most capable minds in the automotive industry to our Company. At the same time, this step puts the executive management of both the Group and the brand on an even broader footing,” said Winterkorn.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
