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Too Visionary? Audi CEO Duesmann Must Go - Döllner Takes Over

Blume loyalist replaces the unconventional Audi CEO who pushed for electrification and could also warm up to car-free Sundays and a speed limit, and demanded "technological clarity."

Perhaps too visionary for Audi: Markus Duesmann has to vacate the top position at Audi. He had significantly accelerated the phase-out of combustion engines and ramped up electrification. | Photo: Audi
Perhaps too visionary for Audi: Markus Duesmann has to vacate the top position at Audi. He had significantly accelerated the phase-out of combustion engines and ramped up electrification. | Photo: Audi
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The era of the provocative and unconventional Audi CEO Markus Duesmann, which lasted only three years, is already over. Gernot Döllner will be the new Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. He will succeed Markus Duesmann on September 1 of this year. The Audi Supervisory Board made the corresponding decision on June 29, 2023. During his tenure, Duesmann stood out for his unconventional approaches and ideas that defied the norm.

He announced the early exit from combustion engines as of 2033, or as of 2026 for new developments, significantly advanced electrification plans, and also put forward the possibility of a speed limit or car-free Sundays to save energy. Recently, he also warned about a "stalemate" in the phase-out of combustion engines and called for determined transformation, additionally criticizing the fueling of illusions around the use of e-fuels, advocating for "technological clarity" instead of "technological openness." Perhaps too contrary and visionary for the Ingolstadt-based company, where the diesel scandal originated.

“I thank Markus Duesmann for his significant achievements at Audi over the past years. He prepared and advanced important strategic decisions with foresight, particularly the electrification strategy. Audi will be able to build on this in the future,” explained Audi's Supervisory Board Chairman Manfred Döss.

Gernot Döllner is the right person to further sharpen the product strategy and market positioning for Audi in key markets. Peter Mosch, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG, praised Markus Duesmann for taking responsibility during challenging times for Audi and its employees, with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine on supply chains and markets.

Gernot Döllner studied mechanical engineering and joined Volkswagen as a doctoral candidate in 1993. He held several senior positions at Porsche AG, including Head of Product and Concept Development and Head of the Panamera model line. Since 2021, he has been leading product and group strategy and the General Secretariat at the Volkswagen Group. He was one of the closest associates of Porsche and VW Group CEO Oliver Blume.

Translated automatically from German.
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