Audi supervisory board suspends CEO, installs interim chief - source

Reuters  |  MUNICH 

By Irene and Wissenbach

was not immediately available for comment.

The decision comes as bosses were locked in a second day of hastily convened meetings to address a leadership crisis sparked by the arrest of the of the carmaker's brand, sources familiar with the matter said.

Germany's largest carmaker is scrambling to determine how to manage its most profitable brand after German authorities detained Stadler as part of their investigation into the group's emissions test cheating scandal.

Schot joined the group in 2011 after having worked as of He has been Audi since last September.

The arrest of the 55-year-old Stadler on Monday threw VW back into turmoil, as it raised fresh questions about whether the company had done enough to reform itself almost three years after it admitted to rigging U.S. emissions tests on diesel engines.

Stadler has been under fire from the media, politicians and VW's powerful trade unions for his handling of the emissions scandal, but he survived a major management reshuffle announced in August thanks to backing from the Piech and families that control VW.

Last week, prosecutors said they were investigating Stadler, the of VW's most profitable business, for suspected fraud and and for his alleged role in helping to bring cars equipped with on to the European market.

They said the decision to arrest him at his home in in the early hours of Monday was made because they saw a risk that he could try to suppress evidence. He remains remanded in custody but has not been charged with a crime.

Around noon local time, the VW group supervisory board was due to be informed about the proposed changes at the top of Audi in a telephone conference, two sources said.

VW shares extended Monday's decline, trading 2.1 percent lower at 150.9 euros by 1040 GMT.

(Additional reporting by and Jan Schwartz; Editing by and Keith Weir)

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First Published: Tue, June 19 2018. 16:36 IST