Volkswagen Group's supervisory board has streamlined the automaker's management board by removing the heads of sales and procurement and reallocating responsibilities.
The move signals a sharper focus by former Porsche boss Oliver Blume, who took over as VW Group CEO on Thursday from Herbert Diess. During Diess's turbulent four-year tenure, the management board swelled to 12 members.
Blume said the changes will give VW Group brands more business responsibility.
"The Group will define the objectives, establish the guardrails for operational implementation and provide synergies for the platforms and technologies. Internally, the brand groups will assume responsibility for reducing the complexity of the management," he said in a statement on Thursday.
Talking to top managers at an internal conference on his first day, Blume said that VW will accelerate its transition toward electric vehicles where possible.
Blume said he had developed a ten-point plan focusing on topics including financial robustness, sustainability, the capital market, and development in China and North America.
"I am a fan of e-mobility and I stand by this path ... we will keep the current pace and, where possible, increase it," Blume said, according to a copy of his speech, highlights of which were quoted on Twitter along with a picture of Blume presenting his new plan (see below).
