Jonathan Browning Steps Down As Volkswagen of America's CEO

William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

December 12, 2013

Surprising news coming from Volkswagen today. Jonathan Browning, CEO of Volkswagen of America has stepped down. In a statement, Volkswagen says Browning has left for personal reasons.

A former executive for Ford and General Motors, Browning became CEO of Volkswagen of America in 2010. During his tenure, Volkswagen saw sales rise 23 percent in 2011 and 30 percent in 2012. This year has seen sales decline five percent through most of this year with sales standing at 373,689 vehicles. Meanwhile, the automotive industry is experiencing growth of eight percent in the same time frame.

Browning's replacement is Michael Horn. Horn has been with Volkswagen since 1990. Before being announced as the new CEO, Horn was the head of VW global after sales.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Volkswagen

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at william.maley@cheersandgears.comor you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

Press Release is on Page 2

Wolfsburg, December 12, 2013 – The Volkswagen Group has made new appointments to several management positions in After Sales and Sales with effect from January 1, 2014.

Michael Horn (51) is to become President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Horn is a business administration graduate and joined Volkswagen in 1990, working on the Group and brand strategy. In 1997, he assumed responsibility for sales in North-Western Europe. He was Head of Sales North West Europe from 1997, Head of Sales and Marketing, Premium-Class Vehicles of the Volkswagen brand from 2001, and Head of Sales for Europe from 2004. In 2009, he was appointed Head of Volkswagen Global After Sales. In his new position, Horn is to succeed Jonathan Browning (54), who is leaving the Group for personal reasons and returning to the UK.

Axel Schulte-Hürmann (52) is to be the new Head of After Sales of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, in which function he is to succeed Michael Horn.Schulte-Hürmann, who holds an engineering degree, joined the Volkswagen Group in 1987. Following various responsible positions in logistics, he was appointed Head of Sales Genuine Parts of the ŠKODA brand in 2001. In 2004, he became Managing Director of Volkswagen Genuine Parts Logistics. Since 2012, he has been Head of Supply Chain, Volkswagen Group Genuine Parts and Service.

Terence Johnsson (52) is to be Head of Overseas Sales with Audi. Johnsson, who holds a degree in business economics, started his career with General Motors in 1984. Following various responsible positions with GM Asia Pacific, he was appointed President and Managing Director with GM Middle East Operations in 2004. From 2008, he was Vice President Sales, Service and Marketing with GM in China. In 2011, Johnsson joined the Volkswagen Group, where he was Head of Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand Sales, initially for North and South America and then, from August 2013, for North America.

Ludger Fretzen (48) is to be the new Head of Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand Sales, North America, in which function he succeeds Terence Johnsson. Fretzen, who holds a degree in business administration, joined the Volkswagen Group in 1991. He became sales manager for Scandinavia at Volkswagen Passenger Cars in 1993, moving to Group sales management in 1996. Fretzen was given responsibility for product strategy in the Marketing division in 1998. He was in charge of global product marketing at Volkswagen Passenger Cars from 2000. In 2010, he was appointed CEO of Volkswagen-Audi España S.A.