AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)11/23 Report--

German media "Auto Weekly" reported in early November that Volkswagen Group plans to replace the head of China business due to poor business performance in China market and unsatisfactory sales of electric vehicle products ID. Family. Feng Sihan, CEO of Volkswagen Group China, will step down from his current position and leave China on February 1,2022.

According to the data, Feng Sihan joined Volkswagen Group in 1995 and successively worked in the international marketing and product management departments. From 2004 to 2006, he was responsible for the marketing and sales business of SAIC Volkswagen. Later, he served as general manager of Volkswagen brand and executive deputy general manager of FAW-Volkswagen. In August 2016, Feng Sihan officially assumed the position of CEO of Volkswagen brand passenger cars in China and served as executive vice president of Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd., responsible for the promotion and business operation of Volkswagen brand in China market. At the beginning of 2019, Feng Sihan officially became CEO of Volkswagen Group (China) and served as a member of Volkswagen Passenger Car Brand Management Board.

There are rumors that Feng Sihan's resignation from his current position and departure from China may be related to Volkswagen's performance in the Chinese market. According to the data, Volkswagen sales in China increased by 0.6% year-on-year to 4.23 million vehicles in 2019, accounting for nearly 40% of Volkswagen's total global sales, a record high. In 2020, Volkswagen sales in China fell 9.1% year-on-year to 3.85 million vehicles. In the first three quarters of this year, Volkswagen sales in China fell 4.1% year-on-year to 2.55 million vehicles, among which Volkswagen brand sales were less than 1.86 million vehicles, Skoda delivered only 52,700 vehicles, and only Audi brand achieved year-on-year growth. Of course, Volkswagen's decline in sales in China has nothing to do with the market environment, affected by the epidemic in 2020 and constrained by the supply of chips and parts in 2021.

According to Caijing. com, in response to the news that Volkswagen China CEO will leave office, Feng Sihan said that what is certain is that management will be adjusted, including my position in China. The reason for this is also very clear and obvious. In the past ten years, I have held various positions in China continuously. In addition to three and a half years in the leadership position of SAIC Volkswagen, from 2012 to now, I have led the Volkswagen brand in China for 6 years and served as CEO of Volkswagen Group China for more than 3 years. Having worked in China for a long time has brought me many advantages. For example, I am quite familiar with the joint venture partners and the leaders of government departments. There are many cooperation.

On the other hand, the group has a good principle and tradition: when a manager has been in a job or a place for many years, he needs to make adjustments and changes. Although the manager can gain more and more experience in the local market, he may lack fresh perspectives. There are examples of this in many parts of the world and in many companies, that is, when a leader stays in one position or place for too long, the power and drive for change will weaken. That's why the group has such management principles and traditions. And within the group, we have enough high-level managers with international experience.

As for whether he will leave China, Feng Sihan made it clear that he "will definitely leave China", but he also denied that he will leave China on February 1 next year. "We plan to do another media communication meeting in January next year, when I will introduce (Volkswagen China) 2021 performance and 2022 plans," Feng said.

Welcome to subscribe to the WeChat public account "Automotive Industry Focus" to get the first-hand insider information on the automotive industry and talk about things in the automotive circle. Welcome to break the news! WeChat ID autoWechat