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DETROIT (Reuters) – Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) Wednesday named a new head of its US group as the German automaker strived to boost sales of SUV as demand for cars weakened.
FILE PHOTO: Scott Keogh, President of Audi of America, speaks at the media presentation of the 2016 New York International Auto Show in Manhattan, New York, USA, on March 23, 2016. REUTERS / Eduardo Munoz / Photo File
Scott Keogh, currently director of Audi of America, will become president and CEO of the Volkswagen Group of America and will be responsible for the Volkswagen brand for the North America region as of November 1, the company said.
Keogh, 49, will succeed Hinrich Woebcken, who will remain with the company as a consultant.
"Scott Keogh, who led Audi to excellence in the United States, will build on this momentum and implement the next phase of the growth strategy as we continue to make Volkswagen a more relevant player in North America. North, "said Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen, statement.
Woebcken, an old BMW (BMWG.DE), a global leader in global purchasing, was named head of VW's North American region in January 2016 after the automaker admitted to using secret software to circumvent US standards. diesel emissions.
In total, VW has agreed to spend more than $ 25 billion in the US on claims from homeowners, environmental regulators, states and dealers and has proposed to buy back approximately 500,000 polluting vehicles in the United States. Redemptions will continue until the end of 2019.
Volkswagen sales in the United States until September of this year increased by 5.5% to 266,228 vehicles, but it still struggles to move from idle sales to sports cars.
Sales of the company's new Jetta sedan have dropped 33% this year, while Passat and Golf car sales have also dropped by 34% and 38%. Two new sport utility vehicles – the Atlas and the Tiguan – now account for more than 40% of total sales in the United States.
Keogh will be replaced at Audi on December 1 by Mark Del Rosso, currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors and former Chief Operating Officer of Audi of America, the company said. Del Rosso's replacement at Bentley will be named later.
Keogh joined Audi in 2006 as a marketing director and was promoted to president in 2012, which allowed the brand to double its sales in the region from 2010 to 2015, the company said.
Del Rosso, 54, joined Audi of America in 2008 as COO of Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T)
Report by Ben Klayman in Detroit, additional report by David Shepardson in Washington; Edited by Marguerita Choy
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