Matthias Müller, 62, is appointed CEO of Volkswagen AG as of today after a Supervisory Board meeting in Wolfsburg. Five million Volkswagen and Audi brand vehicles are affected worldwide in a growing diesel emissions scandal that forced the resignation of former chairman Martin Winterkorn. Müller is currently the Chairman of Porsche AG in Stuttgart. He will continue in that job until a successor is appointed. Porsche is VW Group’s largest stockholder.
Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand said, “We are working at full speed on a technical solution that we will present to partners, to our customers and to the public as swiftly as possible. Our aim is to inform our customers as quickly as possible, so that their vehicles comply fully with (NOx )regulations. I assure you that Volkswagen will do everything humanly possible to win back the trust of our customers, the dealerships and the public.”
The European Commission will require “real world” vehicle emission tests beginning in 2017. Emissions approval for passenger cars in Europe will then include mandatory on-the-road tests using a portable emissions measurement system – the first time NOx will be measured outside of a laboratory.
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.
