Executives
-
Audi R&D chief Wolfgang Dürheimer has been replaced just 10 months after taking up his current position. Germany’s Der Spiegel was first to report that Dürheimer was likely to be replaced as Audi’s R&D chief by Volkswagen Group R&D chief Ulrich Hackenberg, and now it is official. Hackenberg will still head R&D for the Volkswagen Group but from July 1 will also manage the technological progress at Audi. A reason for the executive shuffle hasn’t been given, though a statement released by Audi said Dürheimer will be retained by the Volkswagen...
-
Former Jaguar Boss To Head Williams F1 Team
Former Jaguar managing director Mike O’Driscoll, the man credited with overseeing the British automaker during its transition from Ford’s Premier Auto Group to new owner Tata, has been announced CEO of the Williams F1 Team. O’Driscoll’s newly created role will see the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker Board Member And First Karma Owner Ray Lane Resigns
It has been confirmed that a board member and key investor of distressed electric car company Fisker Automotive has resigned. Venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers confirmed to Reuters that Ray Lane, the owner of the first Fisker Karma delivered to a customer, resigned from...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lamborghini Names Manager For Super Trofeo Series In U.S.
Lamborghini’s Blancpain Super Trofeo one-make racing series lands in the U.S. later this year, with the inaugural North American season’s first race taking place at the Mid-Ohio race track in June. Having just announced a new director for its Squadra Corse racing division in the form of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Max Welti To Head Lamborghini’s Squadra Corse Racing Division
Swiss motorsport engineer Max Welti has been appointed head of Lamborghini’s new motorsport division, Squadra Corse. Welti replaces Lamborghini R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani, who was only heading the squad until a suitable manager could be found. The 60-year-old Swiss national is a former...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Aston Martin Chief Engineer Chris Porritt Joins Tesla
While things may look quiet on the surface, there are major shuffles taking place within Aston Martin. Just days ago it was reported that the company’s CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez, was about to resign to a more ambassadorial role. And this was followed by an official announcement that the sale of a...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
While Aston Martin is among the most storied British sports car brands, it's had its share of ups and downs over the decades. Now it appears that the man who helped return Aston Martin to prominence and give it a role as a global player is about to retire. Dr. Ulrich Bez, who has led the brand since 2000, will step down and take a more "ambassadorial" role, according to Autocar. Bez was appointed as CEO of Aston Martin under Ford ownership, and stayed on even after Ford spun it out to private investors in 2007. On his watch, Aston Martin sales rose from a few hundred each year to thousands...
-
BMW Stylist Karim Habib Explains The Design Process: Video
Whether you’re a fan of BMW’s latest designs or not, there’s no denying the look of the automaker’s vehicles are still making a major impact on the industry, even in this post-Bangle era. Only yesterday we were given a preview of an upcoming BMW model, the X4 crossover, or...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
CEO's Resignation Is Latest Executive Shakeup At Mercedes F1
The changes at Mercedes’ motorsport division shows no sign of slowing, with the automaker today announcing that Nick Fry, the CEO of the Mercedes AMG Formula One team, will resign from his post at the start of April. He will essentially be on ‘gardening leave’ until the end of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Bentley Interior Design Chief Robin Page Heads To Volvo
Volvo has pulled off a major coup by hiring the man responsible for designing the interiors of cars like the Bentley Continental and Mulsanne. Bentley’s head of interior design, Robin Page, has confirmed he’s joining Volvo to head up the interior design department at the Swedish...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche To Stay On For At Least Three More Years
Daimler’s supervisory board has decided to extend the contract of the company’s CEO and Chairman, Dieter Zetsche, for a further three years. This will see the German exec continue his role as CEO of both Daimler and its subsidiary Mercedes-Benz until the end of 2016. Though...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
GM Appoints Former Volkswagen Exec To Head Troubled Opel
Last summer, General Motors’ European unit Opel made the surprise announcement that its chief, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, was being reassigned to a new role, and that its turnaround expert, Steve Girsky, would fill in as interim chief. Since then, we’ve seen Opel enter an alliance deal...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Following the resignation of its longstanding motorsport chief Norbert Haug at the end of 2012, and the recent appointment of Formula One legend Niki Lauda as chairman of its F1 team, Mercedes-Benz has now announced another shakeup in the executive lineup at its motorsport division. Austrian Toto Wolff, a shareholder of several motorsport companies including Williams, where he was also on the board of directors, has now been appointed director of Mercedes’ F1 team. Both Lauda and Wolff are also shareholders of Mercedes' F1 team, along with Ross Brawn, who remains team principal of the...
-
Norbert Haug Steps Down After 22 Years As Mercedes Motorsport Chief
After more than 22 years as the head of motorsport at Mercedes-Benz, Norbert Haug’s contract will come to an end by mutual agreement with the automaker’s senior execs. His exit won’t have any effect on the 2013 motorsport season, preparations for which will continue as planned...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Bill Ford, Jr. Is Buyer Of Oldest Ford Still In Existence
Last October the world’s oldest known Ford in existence, a 1903 Model A Rear Entry Tonneau, sold at auction for the relative bargain price of price of $264,000 (the car had previously been sold in 2007 for almost $700k). It’s now been revealed that the lucky buyer of the red 1903 Model...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker Hires Former GM Exec Joel Ewanick As Interim Marketing Head
Fisker’s Karma electric sedan uses a GM engine as its range extender, and now the company has another link with the American auto giant. Fisker has hired former GM marketing boss Joel Ewanick as its chief of global sales and marketing. At Fisker, Ewanick will replace Richard Beattie, who is...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volvo Appoints New CEO, Stefan Jacoby Leaves Company
Volvo announced today that current board member Håkan Samuelsson will take over as president and CEO, effective immediately. Samuelsson replaces Stefan Jacoby, who was on sick leave following a mild stroke suffered last month. Jacoby, who was set to return later this month, has been running...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Former Lamborghini Stylist Luc Donckerwolke To Head Bentley Design
Luc Donckerwolke, the man credited with the designs of the Murcielago and Gallardo supercars from Lamborghini, as well as the original Audi A2 mini, will soon be setting up shop in Crewe, England, where he’ll be heading the design team at Bentley. He will be replacing Dirk van Braeckel, who...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The history of German sports car brand Wiesmann, the manufacturer of retro-styled roadsters with BMW hearts, can trace its roots back several decades, to a time when two brothers with a passion for speed decided to build their own sports car. In the mid-1980s those two brothers, Martin and Friedhelm Wiesmann, would start work on a prototype that would eventually become the first model born under the Wiesmann name, the MF3 Roadster. Sadly, neither of the Wiesmann brothers is with the company they founded all those years ago. Friedhelm Wiesmann resigned earlier this year and now Martin...
-
Opel Loses New Design Boss
Just two weeks after Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke announced his resignation from the top job, David Lyon, Opel’s recently appointed head designer has reportedly stepped down just a week before he was scheduled to start work at Opel’s headquarters in Russelsheim, Germany. Lyon’s...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Legendary Automotive Designer Sergio Pininfarina Dead At 85
Sergio Pininfarina, son of Pininfarina founder Battista Farina, passed away in his home in Turin, Italy, late last night after a long illness. Pininfarina, who was aged 85 at his death, has been involved with the legendary Italian design house his father founded for more than 40 years and was...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Rolls-Royce Appoints Giles Taylor As New Design Chief
Rolls-Royce announced today that Giles Taylor will serve as its new design chief from July 1, replacing Ian Cameron, who retires from the role he has held since 1999. Taylor will report to Adrian van Hooydonk, the head of design for all BMW Group brands, and comes to his new role with more than 10...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Scott Keogh Appointed New President Of Audi Of America
Following the resignation of its chief Johan de Nysschen, and his eventual defection to rival luxury brand Infiniti, Audi of America has announced today a new chief in the form of Scott Keogh. Keogh moves up from a previous role as marketing chief for Audi and has more than six years of experience...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Opel Designer Appointed Design Chief Of Buick And Cadillac
As General Motors celebrates the 85th anniversary of its GM Design organization, which today employs more than 1,900 talented designers in 10 advanced studios located around the globe, the automaker has announced a series of changes at the highest levels of its design operations. Still in charge of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran