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Ferdinand Piech (1937-2019): The man who made VW global

Towering among his peers, a giant of the auto industry died Sunday night in Rosenheim/Upper Bavaria, Germany. Ferdinand Piech, a grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who conceived the original Volkswagen in the 1930s, was the most polarizing automotive executive of our times. And one who brought automotive technology further than anyone else. Ferdinand Porsche had a son, Ferdinand (called "Ferry"), and a daughter, Louise, who married the Viennese lawyer Anton Piech. They gave birth to Ferdinand Piech, and his proximity to two Alfa Romeo sports cars — Porsche had done some work for the Italians — and the "Berlin-Rome-Berlin" race car, developed by Porsche himself, gave birth to Piech's interest in cars. After his teachers in Salzburg told his mother he was "too stupid" to attend school there, Piech, who was open about his dyslexia, was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. He subsequently moved on to Porsche, where he fixed issues with the 904 race car and did major work on the 911. But his greatest project was the Le Mans-winning 917 race car, developed at breathtaking financial cost. It annihilated the competition, but the family had had enough: Amid growing tension among the four cousins working at Porsche and Piech's uncle Ferry, the family decided to pull every family member, except for Ferry, out of their management positions. Piech started his own consultancy business, where he designed the famous five-cylinder diesel for Mercedes-Benz, but quickly moved on to Audi, first as an engineer and then as CEO, where he set out to transform the dull brand into a technology leader. Piech killed the Wankel engine and hammered out a number of ambitious and sophisticated technologies. Among them: The five-cylinder gasoline engine; Quattro all-wheel drive and Audi's fantastic rally successes; and turbocharging, developed with Fritz Indra, whom Piech recruited from Alpina. The Audi 100/200/5000 became the world's fastest production sedan, thanks to their superior aerodynamics. Piech also launched zinc-coated bodies for longevity — and gave diesel technology a decisive boost with the advent of the fast and ultra-efficient TDI engines. Less known: Piech also decided to put larger gas tanks into cars. Customers loved it. Piech's first-generation Audi V8 was met with derision by competitors; it was too obviously based on the 200/5000.

Ducati Diavel for Bentley is the first collaboration between the brands

Sister companies Ducati and Bentley have joined forces for the first time to create a limited-edition version of the Diavel motorcycle. Inspired by the Batur, which is also a limited-edition model, the bike stands out with an elegant design that incorporates several Bentley styling cues. Although this is the first time Bentley's winged logo appears on a Ducati, it's not the first car-themed Diavel to come out of the Italian brand's design studio; it collaborated with Lamborghini on a Sian FKP 37-inspired 1260 Diavel in November 2020. Drawing inspiration from the sold-out Batur, designers added mesh inserts and red accents to the side air intakes, edition-specific fairing made with carbon fiber, and forged wheels shaped like the ones Bentley put on its limited-edition coupe. Scarab Green paint from the Bentley palette completes the look. The rider sits on an Alcantara-upholstered seat with red accents that echoes the Batur's interior and faces a redesigned instrument cluster. Ducati notes that buyers will receive the bike in a personalized wood case along with a certificate of authenticity, a motorcycle cover, and a passenger seat. The two companies also collaborated on a range of accessories that includes a helmet and a limited-edition jacket. Fitting the Diavel with Bentley's 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engine seemingly wasn't an option, so power comes from a stock, 1.2-liter V4 rated at 168 horsepower and 93 pound-feet of torque. If neither figure sounds impressive, keep in mind the standard Diavel weighs 520 pounds. Put another way, its power-to-weight ratio approaches that of a Bugatti Chiron. It's the two-wheel equivalent of a supercar. Ducati will build 500 units of the Diavel for Bentley. If that's not rare enough, it will make 50 additional examples of a version named Diavel for Bentley Mulliner that's reserved for Bentley customers. They'll notably have a broader scope of customization options to choose from. Featured Gallery Ducati Diavel for Bentley View 29 Photos Design/Style Bentley Motorcycle Luxury Performance

Matthias Muller officially named VW Group CEO

While the vast number of rumors made it seem like a foregone conclusion, Porsche boss Matthias Muller has officially been named Volkswagen Group CEO to replace the recently resigned Martin Winterkorn. His contract runs through the end of February 2020, and until a replacement is found, Muller also gets to hang onto his old job as chairman of Porsche. At the same time, the VW Group Supervisory Board is announcing a massive structural reorganization across the entire company, with the new management model in place by the beginning of 2016. Contrary to previous rumors, Michael Horn remains as President and CEO of VW Group of America. The board wants a greater emphasis on brands and regions going forward, and the scale of this shift can be seen in the US. On November 1, VW Group business in the US, Mexico, and Canada is being combined under the leadership of current Skoda chairman Winfried Vahland. However contrary to previous rumors, Michael Horn remains as President and CEO of VW Group of America. Other brands are also seeing some significant changes mechanically. Porsche, Bentley, and Bugatti now fall under the Group's "sportscar and mid-engine toolkit." This means that the brands will start sharing standardized technical parts. A Chief Technical Officer across all of the company's brands will also start working toward future innovations. The new brand-centric view means the end of a group-wide production department. "Going forward, the brands and regions will also have greater independence with regard to production. So it follows that they should also hold the responsibility for these activities," Berthold Huber, interim Chairman of the Supervisory Board, said in the announcement. In a statement with the press release about his promotion, Muller promised to turn the company around after such an international crisis. He said: "My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry." Matthias Muller appointed CEO of the Volkswagen Group Muller remains Chairman of Porsche AG until a successor has been found Matthias Muller (62) has been appointed CEO of Volkswagen AG with immediate effect.