Volkswagen Extends Group Board of Management

WOLFSBURG, GERMANY – July 8, 2010: The Volkswagen Group is extending the Group Board of Management in the context of its “Strategy 2018” growth program and setting up a new “Group Trucks” Board of Management division to this end. Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann (58), currently member of the Board of Management with responsibility for “Group Production”, will take charge of this new division effective October 1, 2010. He will be succeeded by Michael Macht (49), currently Chairman of the Board of Management of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart.

"The truck business is an essential part of the Volkswagen Group’s growth strategy. Given this significance, truck activities will in future be managed direct at Group Board of Management level. We are fortunate to have won the support of Prof. Heizmann for this strategic task; he is an extremely experienced executive who has significantly improved the productivity of Volkswagen production and therefore the competitiveness of the Group in recent years", Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, underscored.

"With Michael Macht, Jochem Heizmann’s successor, an acknowledged production expert is joining the Group Board of Management. He will vigorously pursue the productivity targets of the ‘Volkswagen Way’ and drive forward the expansion of the Group’s production capacity." In China alone, Volkswagen will be doubling its capacity to approximately three million vehicles per year by 2013/14. "A broader-based Group Board of Management creates the framework for an even more systematic approach to achieving the goals of our Strategy 2018", Winterkorn commented.

Prof. Heizmann joined the Group in 1982. The engineer was appointed head of global production planning at the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand in 1993. He was named spokesperson of the management of Volkswagen Sachsen in 2000 before being appointed member of the Board of Management of Audi AG responsible for production in 2001. He took charge of Group production in February 2007. "Thanks to his commitment, it has been possible to set up one of the world’s most efficient production networks in the automotive industry", Winterkorn said.

Michael Macht joined Porsche AG in 1990. The engineering graduate became managing director of Porsche Consulting in 1994. He was appointed member of the Board of Management of Porsche AG responsible for production and logistics in 1998. He has been Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG since July 2009.

Winterkorn said: "Michael Macht is an acknowledged production expert. As Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG, he has made a key contribution to the envisaged union of Porsche and Volkswagen over the past year. Under his management, Porsche has been successfully established as an independent brand in the Volkswagen Group’s multi-brand network."