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.
