Volkswagen patriarch Ferdinand Piech said he may stay on as VW chairman beyond his current term and he sees room for the automaker to expand further.
Piech is also concerned about the impact on Volkswagen of slumping new-car sales in Spain and Italy.
Piech, 75, spoke with the German tabloid Bild am Sonntag in a rare interview.
He said he would stay on until the new VW Golf, which went on sale on Saturday, is replaced. "I have asked (CEO) Martin Winterkorn to launch the next Golf. A new model of the Golf usually comes out every 5-7 years. At least that long I will cover Winterkorn's back as chairman," Piech said in the interview published on Sunday.
In April, shareholders voted Piech to act as chairman for a third term until December 2016. Winterkorn's contract also runs until the end of 2016. Piech has been at the helm of VW for 18 years including nine years as chief executive officer.