AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)02/09 Report--

After today, Professor Heizmann, who has devoted almost his life to Volkswagen Group, will officially retire. Diss will take over as head of China Management Board and be responsible for the strategic direction of China business. Dr. Feng Sihan will be responsible for Volkswagen's operation in China, the development of various brands and various daily tasks.

At the conference, Professor Heizmann also stressed that in the future he will continue to use his extensive experience in China and the entire Volkswagen Group to provide advisory services, not only for China but also for global business. At the same time, after retirement, he continued to retain certain responsibilities in the Volkswagen Group, such as providing consultants and participating in certain activities.

In 1975 Heizmann received a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Karlsruhe University, in 1982 he joined Audi NSU AG and began his career in the automotive industry. In October 1991 he joined Volkswagen AG as head of the central planning department of the Wolfsburg engine production workshop. Since then, Professor Heizmann has been working for Volkswagen Group. Since 2007, he has served as a member of the Management Board of Volkswagen Group. On September 1,2012, he officially assumed the position of President and CEO of Volkswagen Group (China) and became the head of the functional department set up by the Management Board of Volkswagen Group for China business.

Looking back on Professor Heizman's employment career, we can find that he devoted almost all his life to Volkswagen Group, and under his leadership, the influence of Volkswagen brand in China is obvious to all. Dr. Dees also believes that Professor Heizman's more important contribution lies in deeply cultivating Volkswagen brand in Chinese market and cultivating it with Chinese consumers. "Today, our brands have reached about 20% of the Chinese market share, and we have been deeply integrated into Chinese society."

After Professor Heizmann's "retirement", Dr. Dees and Dr. Feng Sihan will assume the responsibility of Volkswagen's development in China, of which Dr. Dees will take over as the head of the China Management Board and be responsible for the strategic direction of the China business, while Dr. Feng Sihan will be responsible for the operation of the Group's business in China, the development of various brands and various daily tasks.

The Chinese market is the largest "food and clothing parent" of Volkswagen Group. A single Chinese market can account for 40% of its global sales volume. Volkswagen has always cared for the Chinese market. The new CEO of Volkswagen Group, Diss, personally takes charge of China is the best explanation. At the meeting on the same day, Dr. Diess said that the Chinese market is of the most important significance for the future of Volkswagen Group, and it can even be said that the future of Volkswagen Group will be determined by the Chinese market.

After Professor Heizmann retires from the Group, Dr. Diss, Chairman of the Group's Global Management Board, will officially serve as the head of the China Management Board, which also means that Diss will have the triple identity of CEO of Volkswagen Group, CEO of Volkswagen Brand and head of Volkswagen China.

In the future, Volkswagen will continue to shift to intelligent electrification in China. Volkswagen Group has announced plans to invest more than 4 billion euros (about 31.68 billion yuan) with Chinese partners in 2019 for electric vehicles, intelligent networking, mobile travel services, R & D, efficient production processes and new product development.

In addition, Volkswagen Group will launch more than 30 new energy models in China in the next two years, 50% of which will be locally produced. By 2020, the first batch of pure electric vehicles based on electric platform MEB will be rolled off the assembly line at FAW-Volkswagen Foshan Plant and SAIC Volkswagen Anting Plant.

Over the past six years, Professor Heizman has paved the way for Volkswagen in China, helping Volkswagen China to make substantial progress in electric, intelligent, mobile travel and other related fields, such as promoting the establishment of Jianghuai Volkswagen and cooperating with local technology companies such as Chuangwen, Didi, Shouqi Group and Baidu.

During his years in charge of China's business, Professor Heizmann has made great contributions to Volkswagen. Volkswagen's sales in China jumped from 2.81 million vehicles in 2012 to 4.2 million vehicles in 2017, accounting for nearly 40% of Volkswagen's global sales.

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