Audi has picked Volvo executive Peter Mertens to lead technical development at the Volkswagen Group subsidiary.
Mertens, the second high-ranking member of Volvo's r&d team to move to Audi since August, will join the German automaker “at the earliest possible opportunity,” an Audi spokesman told Automotive News Europe. He declined to be more specific.
Audi looked outside the VW Group to fill the post after losing its previous two technical development chiefs in the fallout from VW Groups' emissions-cheating scandal. Both were longtime VW Group employees.
“Peter Mertens had the best combination of qualities and experience,” the spokesman said.
Along with Volvo, the German executive has served as a manager and executive at multiple carmakers including Mercedes-Benz, General Motors and Jaguar Land Rover.
Audi CEO Rupert Stadler complimented Mertens' “exceptionally broad technical expertise” and his international background. “These are ideal qualifications for him to make further progress with the technical development division at Audi,” Stadler said in a statement on Thursday.
Both of Mertens' predecessors, Ulrich Hackenberg and Stefan Knirsch, were forced to leave Audi because of their alleged involvement in VW Group's emissions fraud. Knirsch didn't even survive nine months on the job before he was removed in late September.
