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VW Group to split brands under four holding companies

The Volkswagen Group is planning a tremendous shift in its internal structure that will decentralize operations by splitting its 12 brands into four different holding companies. Here's the breakdown. Things will be split logically, considering the inter-sharing of parts, platforms, and engines. The Volkswagen brand, Seat, and Skoda make up a passenger vehicle division led by former BMW man Herbert Diess. Audi, which is tightly intertwined with Lamborghini and motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, will be managed by current Audi exec Rupert Stadler. Porsche and Bentley, which are already quite close, will be joined by Bugatti and run by Matthias Mueller. Finally, a commercial vehicles division will include Volkswagen Commercial, Scania, and Man. Former Daimler exec Andreas Renschler will take care of the big vehicles. The massive move, according to Automotive News Europe, is part of an internal VAG effort to move away from the structure established by ousted Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who favored a compact, but highly centralized, management structure to oversee the independent actions of the company's brands. Criticism of Piech's arrangement stemmed from the company's slow responses to changes in the market, ANE reports. The new structure should make for a more efficient, streamlined company that's better able to make crucial decisions. What are your thoughts? Should VAG decentralize, or did Piech have the right idea? Have your say in Comments.

Audi exec suspended over diesel scandal

So far, just one lower-level employee has plead guilty in the ongoing VW diesel scandal. Up high, the VW CEO when the scandal broke, Martin Winterkorn, resigned right after the news came out. Other executives have also quit or been suspended as well. Today, we learn that one more executive is feeling the heat a year into the scandal. Stefan Knirsch, the head of technical development at Audi and Audi board member, is going to be suspended from his position this week because of his ties to the technology that VW Group used to cheat emissions tests. The German newspaper Bild Am Sonntag reports that Knirsch not only knew that the cheating software existed but also lied about it under oath. Knirsch previously worked at Porsche and then Audi's electrification division. He left Audi's EV efforts behind in early 2015. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Government/Legal Green Audi Volkswagen Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal audi diesel diesel scandal

The Audi RS3 shows up at Paris with five cylinders, 400 hp, and a scowl

Last night at the Volkswagen Group Night, almost lost among all the future mobility hoopla about the Volkswagen I.D. autonomous EV concept, Audi parked an RS3 sedan. We have some preliminary information about it – including that it's packing a 2.5-liter TFSI engine, the same five-cylinder powerplant that makes 400 horsepower in the new Audi TT RS we just drove. In the RS3, it'll have the same rating. It'll also have a wider track, because it's surely packing wider and stickier rubber. We also know that it'll have a special Virtual Cockpit gauge display that puts the tachometer in the center, in the tradition of sporty driver-oriented cars. Before you sigh something about the injustice of it not reaching the Americas, like many RS models of the past, great news: this one is almost assuredly coming to the US, according to our best intel. We'll have more details later today after the official press conference, but for now the bottom line is this is both what we expected and also truly exciting. We're in the midst of a real Audi RS boom right now. If you want a taste of what to expect, read our Audi TT RS first drive. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Audi RS3 Sedan: Paris 2016 View 15 Photos Related Gallery 2017 Audi RS3 View 18 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Paris Motor Show Audi Performance Sedan 2016 paris motor show