Volkswagen: VW CEO Blume launches the next restructuring – and triggers a chain reaction in sales

Marco Schubert does not currently have an easy job. The Volkswagen Group's delivery numbers had fallen by more than six percent in the first half of the year, the largest decline since 2022. At Audi, the decline was even greater, at seven percent. Schubert is responsible for sales at both companies. Now, the 52-year-old is set to take on one of the biggest restructuring cases in the group.

According to information from the Handelsblatt, Schubert will in future lead the North American business for the group. Initially, the industry portal "Elektroauto-News" and the "Manager Magazin" had reported on the personnel matter. The change would trigger a far-reaching personnel rotation that would affect Audi, the core brand VW, and Skoda. Several top managers would receive new tasks.

Behind the personnel matters is more than just a change in the board of directors. Group CEO Oliver Blume is using the restructuring to realign the leadership structure at the world's second-largest automaker. North America, similar to China with Board Member Ralf Brandstätter, is to gain more weight within the Group Board. This is Blume's response to the persistent problems in the USA.

In the region, the Wolfsburg-based group has been falling short of its ambitions for years. A market share of ten percent by the end of the decade was once the ambitious goal under former America Manager Pablo Di Si. His successor Kjell Gruner aimed - somewhat more cautiously than Di Si, but still boldly - for around eight percent. Meanwhile, the market share has fallen from a stable four to three percent.

It remains to be seen where Schubert, as a possible successor, wants to land. First, the personnel matter must pass through the responsible committees. Audi is currently on a works holiday; the decision is said to be pending there. If everything goes according to plan, Schubert could take up his new post as early as September or October. A spokesperson for the group did not want to comment on the personnel matter when asked.

This is likely to trigger some personnel shifts at the top of other brands in the VW empire. Martin Sander is to take over for Schubert at Audi, currently the top salesperson for the core brand. Sander has an excellent reputation among dealers, who can sometimes make life difficult for sales managers. He also knows Audi from earlier.

For Sander's post at the VW core brand, Martin Jahn from the Czech VW subsidiary Skoda is to move to Wolfsburg. In Mlada Boleslav, VW's South Africa boss Martina Biene is to take over, it is said. Her post, in turn, could go to former Porsche manager Christiane Zorn. The 49-year-old had recently fallen victim to a restructuring in the sales department in Zuffenhausen, which the Handelsblatt reported on exclusively.

The personnel matters are not yet finally decided, according to information from group circles, but are considered an likely scenario internally. However, there are also skeptical voices. A high-ranking manager warns internally that the task in North America could be "one size too big for Schubert".

North America is considered an extremely important building block of Blume's new group target picture, internally called Group Target Picture. However, the region has been causing the VW boss stomachaches for years - not least because of the man in the White House. Blume negotiated personally with the US President Donald Trump's administration several times.

At the beginning of the year, he even publicly linked further investments by his group to tariff relief in the Handelsblatt. However, little has happened since then. The backlash against electromobility in the USA is also affecting Volkswagen's product strategy. The production of the electric SUV ID.4 has been discontinued by the group at its US plant in Chattanooga, resulting in write-offs of half a billion euros, which are currently spoiling VW's results.

In the future, the model range is to be more strongly tailored to American customers - with more large SUVs, off-road vehicles, and pick-ups. According to information from the Handelsblatt, a Volkswagen pick-up could be produced at the Chattanooga plant from 2029. Whether the model is developed independently or built together with a partner is still open.

Ford is considered a possible cooperation partner. Audi is to expand its position in the premium segment, and Scout is to grow as an independent US brand. To avoid further losses due to tariffs, the group is also examining additional production capacities for Audi in the USA.

How important the market has become for the Ingolstadt-based company was shown just last week: Audi CEO Gernot Döllner presented the Q9, the largest SUV in the company's history, in New York. The model was developed specifically for the needs of American customers and is intended to finally pull Audi out of its misery. A video from the evening shows Döllner and Schubert in a collegial handshake.

That the two have little in common outside of work is considered an open secret in the group. Schubert, Döllner's sales manager, could become more important than ever for Audi's America strategy.