Danny Auerswald becomes new head of Volkswagen in Saxony

Change at the top of Volkswagen in Bavaria: On July 1, Danny Auerswald, a native of Saxony, will take over as Chairman of the Board of Management. He replaces Robert Janssen, who is reportedly moving to Shanghai. Janssen had only taken over as CEO and Head of Technology and Logistics in 2022. Danny Auerswald combines regional and international experience, explained Supervisory Board Chairman Christian Vollmer in a statement on Wednesday. He is also familiar with the Saxon sites and challenges from his time at Gläserne Manufaktur, added the Chairman of the General Works Council, Uwe Kunstmann.

Auerswald holds a degree in industrial engineering and was born in Lichtenstein (Zwickau district). From 2020 to 2022, he was site manager of the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden. Previously, he managed a plant in Malaysia. He currently works in Bratislava (Slovakia) and, according to the company, is responsible for the Audi Q7 and Q8 models as well as the VW Touareg.

Volkswagen Saxony is considered a pioneer of electromobility within the Group. However, the vehicle plant in Zwickau in particular is suffering from weakening demand for e-cars. As a result, the factory is far from being fully utilized. As a result, hundreds of temporary employees' contracts were recently not extended and there have been cutbacks in the long-standing three-shift operation. An end to car production in Dresden is also being considered. The company also owns an engine plant in Chemnitz.