- Peter Mertens asked the Audi Supervisory Board to release him from his duties for health reasons
- Volkswagen CEO and Audi Supervisory Board Chairman Herbert Diess: "We deeply regret that Peter Mertens is stepping down from the Board of Management."
- Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council and Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board: "Our thanks are due to Peter Mertens. We expect the transformation that has begun to continue in the spirit of everyone at Audi."
- Peter Mertens: "Thank you to everyone at Audi!"
Ingolstadt, October 2, 2018 – Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler will become the Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG on 1 November 2018. He is the successor to Peter Mertens, who has held this position since May 1, 2017. Mertens had asked the Audi Supervisory Board to release him from his duties for health reasons.
"We deeply regret that Peter Mertens is stepping down from the Board of Management. We respect the reasons that led to his decision and wish him a full recovery," said Volkswagen CEO and Audi Supervisory Board Chairman Herbert Diess.
"Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler is an experienced expert who will continue to advance the transformation of Technical Development," he said.
Peter Mertens explained his decision: "Over the past 16 months, we have initiated a comprehensive transformation at Technical Development and started the future orientation of the division. This requires a high level of concentration, which I cannot fully manage in my situation. During this time, my health and my family have priority. I thank everyone at Audi for their commitment, their support and the great co-operation I have experienced during this time."
Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council and Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AUDI AG said of Mt Mertens' work with the brand:
"We thank Peter Mertens for his outstanding commitment to our company. We expressly regret having to say farewell to such an innovative and inspiring executive. The entire Audi team wishes him all the very best. His successor as the new Board of Management member, Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler, must now continue with the consistent focus of the structures and processes of our Technical Development to ensure an employee-friendly transformation, because the know-how of our team is our Vorsprung durch Technik. In this way, Audi will continue to be the technological spearhead of the Volkswagen Group and will continue to set standards for cutting-edge automotive technologies."
"Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler has gained a great deal of experience in his numerous responsible positions at the Group, which will help him to make a start quickly in his new position at Audi. His task will be to continue the transformation of Technical Development and to further advance along the path towards electric mobility," said Mr Diess of Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler's appointment.
According to the company's plans, approximately 2500 Technical Development employees will additionally be qualified in future fields such as electric mobility, piloted driving, connectivity and future vehicle concepts by the end of 2018.
Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler will take over the Technical Development division on November 1, 2018. He has been employed at the Volkswagen Group since 1986. Rothenpieler's previous positions include Head of Vehicle Development at Skoda, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at the premium brand Bentley, and Member of the Board of Management for Development at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Since 2016, Rothenpieler has been Head of Group Quality Management at Volkswagen.
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The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 16 locations in twelve countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).
In 2017, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.878 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 3,815 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 55,900 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2017 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €60.1 billion and an operating profit of €5.1 billion. At present, approximately 90,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.