Volkswagen Group adjusts its management structure in China, and Barrett will be in charge of China business

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On June 17, the Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg announced that it would make fundamental adjustments to the Chinese market management structure.

Barrett, a member of the board of directors of Volkswagen Group, is responsible for the business in China. At the same time, the group has appointed Marcus Hafkemeyer as the CTO of Volkswagen Group (China) . The current CEO of Volkswagen Group Russia , Stefan Mecha , is the CEO of Volkswagen passenger car brand China and the Volkswagen Group (China). ) Group Head of Sales , effective 1 August .

Volkswagen said that the adjustment of the management structure will give China more autonomy and further consolidate the group’s leading position in the automotive market. At the same time, the Group will further adjust its technology development work in China: strong cross-brand coordination capabilities will speed up research and development and digitalization, bringing products and services closer to and meeting the needs of Chinese customers.

It is understood that Barrett joined the Volkswagen Group in 1993 , and worked in the Volkswagen Group and the purchasing business departments of various brands under the group in the following 22 years. In 2015 , Barrett was appointed to the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand Management Board of Directors; in December 2015 , Barrett was appointed to the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand Management Board of Directors. On August 1 , 2018 , Barrett served as Chief Operating Officer of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand.

Marcus Hafkemeyer , the CTO of Volkswagen Group (China), has worked for Audi and BMW. In 2017 , he served as the deputy general manager of BAIC New Energy and the senior vice president of the Engineering Research Institute. A year later, he was appointed to the board of directors of Beijing Siemens Automotive Electric Drive Systems (Changzhou) Co., Ltd. Marcus Hafkemeyer is currently working as a strategic consultant for Huawei ‘s automotive business in Shanghai.

Facing the upcoming Chinese business, Barry said: “ Under the new management structure in China, we will work closely with the joint venture to further strengthen the system, integrate and upgrade business management, and lay a solid foundation for subsequent development. Obviously, China The district is being given more decision-making power and autonomy, and our services, technologies and products will meet the specific needs of Chinese customers in the local market more quickly. ” The appointment of Barrett heralds the end of the Feng Sihan era.

It is reported that Feng Sihan has worked in China for more than ten years. Since January 2019, Feng Sihan has served as CEO of Volkswagen Group (China). Volkswagen’s sales in China began to decline in 2020. In 2021, it delivered 3.3 million vehicles in China, down 14% year-on-year.

Diess, the global CEO of Volkswagen Group, has publicly stated that ” Volkswagen must change the way it sells electric vehicles in China to deal with its poor sales of electric vehicles in the world’s largest auto market.”

Official data shows that in 2021, Volkswagen will deliver about 70,600 ID. family electric vehicles in China. Volkswagen has officially stated that the sales target of ID. series electric vehicles in 2021 is 80,000 to 100,000 units.