A few months later than expected, former BMW board member Markus Duesmann can now get the executive chair at Audi. In charge at BMW for purchasing and supplier network, Duesmann left Munich in the summer of 2018 completely surprising and was apparently wooed by the Ingolstadt to replace Rupert Stadler. The driving force behind the change was apparently the former BMW Head of Development, and today’s VW boss, Herbert Diess.
But things have not worked out for Duesmann as he would have expected. BMW has decided to not release its former board member Markus Duesmann from his contractual obligations in order to become the next CEO of Audi AG.
German automakers have an industry-standard blocking clause, which would have prevented him from immediately working for a direct competitor.
Apparently, that clause was activated and enforced by BMW. Evidently, people in Wolfsburg assumed that they would be able to avoid Duesmann’s blocking period, but no deals were made.
Only a few months after Duesmann, Hildegard Wortmann, former head of Marketing at BMW also switched to Audi , which likely has caused a stir at the two companies.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reports exclusively that Markus Duesmann is now allowed to become to become the next Audi CEO a few months before the end of his exclusion clause. He is to follow Bram Schot in the Spring of 2020, who took over the post at the beginning of 2019.
An official confirmation for the agreement between BMW and Audi does not exist so far, however the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung believes there are many open questions to be answered. We should learn more as we approach 2020.
Everyone is switching out to Hyundai, Kia and Audi. Troubling time ahead for BMW?
I was thinking the same.
Next will be the customer base change as we now target mainstream SUVs, killed the driver’s car hatch back ( 1 series ) and making what was one of the sexiest car the 4 series to become a beaver…. For sure they will sell… but to a different audience.
On the other hand Audi decided to nail it with there latest RS cars now, having now a more agressive body vs the base models… I always had BMWs and i’m still very happy of my M2 but for the first time i’m considering to look elsewhere for the next car…
That’s a dream and that dream is nothing but a fantasy. Won’t come true. Audi nailed what? Audis will always be Audis, overrated fwd bias vehicles built with heavy parts sharing from Volkswagen and Skoda vehicles. Sure BMW made a few stumbles but expect them to find the right direction and head back to number one spot.
get a few things straight.
Oh look, the Audi spokesperson has arrived.
Oh look, a man that has no clue what he’s talking about…
That’s an oxymoron. That said, might be time for you to keep quiet.
BMW has always topped audi…now you think because a BMW board member left its the end of BMW haha let me guess you are one of those doomsday preppers ? Staff has always been leaving for many many years I dont even give a damn that he has left …who cares ? he is going to get replaced and BMW will continue to sell excellent cars
Right now we don’t talk about BMW.
Not quite, the Audi A1/A3/Q2/3 MQB base models are fwd-based, yes. However, everything from the A4 up uses a 40:60 FR bias in their AWD systems.
Really? How many BMW execs are serving time, or facing criminal charges & extradition? They’re actually being by hired from #1 global premium to clean up messes. In the real world, this is upward mobility, not rats leaving a sinking ship. BMW execs have been leaving Munich for Ford & VAG since the ’90’s, their designers & engineers are sought after in Asia (Hyundai N).
Further evidence that BMW have so lost their war that their executives are frequently headhunted by VAG, Korea & Chinese startups.