BERLIN (Reuters) - Audi Chairman Matthias Mueller said on Friday that reports about an imminent ouster of Chief Executive Rupert Stadler are false.
“Audi needs the full concentration of its management and the entire workforce under the proven leadership of Rupert Stadler to handle the current challenges and steer the brand further into the future,” Mueller was quoted as telling Audi workers on Friday.
Germany’s daily newspaper Bild reported earlier on Friday that Stadler will be replaced in April because of his unsuccessful handling of the diesel emissions scandal, with former Skoda CEO Winfried Vahland seen as his most likely successor.
The report also said that Stadler, who has been in the firing line for months, was supposed to become finance chief of the Volkswagen group.
Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Arno Schuetze