Designated USA chief Vahland to leave VW

Dr. Winfried Vahland, who was tapped to lead a new North American Volkswagen region, will be leaving the Volkswagen Group, it was announced Wednesday.

Volkswagen is battling the biggest business crisis in its 78-year history after admitting last month it installed software in diesel vehicles to deceive USA regulators about the true level of their toxic emissions.

Winfried Vahland, a company veteran who now leads VW’s Czech Skoda unit, made a decision to not take over the new post as had been planned and will leave the carmaker, Skoda said in an e-mailed statement. It said his decision to quit was not related to the scandal over the diesel engines.

German weekly Auto Bild earlier reported Vahland’s pending departure, noting he was passed over for the top job at Volkswagen after Winterkorn resigned on September 23. “VW is facing massive challenges and a completely new start”.

Vahland joined the Volkswagen Group in 1990 and landed his first senior role within the company in 2005 as President and CEO of Volkswagen in China.

Wider political forces within the VW Group management may also have influenced his decision; Vahland is said to have been the preferred VW Group CEO candidate of Winterkorn himself, whereas Müller was the choice of former VW leader Ferdinand Piech.