Bosch heads production at Bentley.
BERLIN: Volkswagen AG is expected to replace the leadership of its troubled software unit later today, with the German carmaker’s new chief executive officer installing a range of trusted managers.
Peter Bosch, a former Oliver Wyman consultant who heads production at VW luxury brand Bentley, is set to lead Cariad, three people familiar with the plans said.
Two former Porsche managers will also join the unit’s board: current Cariad motion and energy vice president Thomas Günther and Porsche software chief Sajjad Khan, one of the people said, declining to be named discussing non-public information.
The changes are set to be approved by Cariad’s supervisory board later today, the people said. Spokesmen for Cariad and VW declined to comment.
For VW CEO Oliver Blume, who has led Europe’s biggest carmaker since September as well as retaining leadership of Porsche, turning around Cariad is a central issue.
Internal discord and overloading the unit with tasks led to delays with software platforms, pushing back several EV models at Porsche and Audi, as well as causing significant software glitches for the ID electric model range.
Bosch is set to take over from Dirk Hilgenberg, who was installed under ex-CEO Herbert Diess to oversee the unit’s ambitious push to create a scalable EV software platform completely in-house. Handelsblatt first reported the news of Bosch’s appointment.
Under Blume, Cariad has narrowed its focus to delivering the software architecture for models like the Audi Q6 e-tron and Porsche’s electric Macan, which have already been delayed by at least two years.
Plans for a cross-brand platform, meant to bolster Volkswagen’s Trinity project and deliver self-driving capabilities, have been pushed back.
