Audi Dismisses Head of R&D Wolfgang Dürheimer

Everything seemed to be on track for Audi to enjoy a perfect weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That was before word spread that the brand had fired its head of R&D, Wolfgang Dürheimer. The story was broken by German magazine Der Spiegel and has been corroborated by several high-ranking Volkswagen Group sources. Dürheimer took on responsibilities as Audi's R&D chief in September of 2012. Prior to that, he had restructured Bentley and spearheaded the company's effort to launch an SUV. At Audi, Dürheimer swiftly put a halt to projects that siphoned money from the company without any significant market potential, such as the R8 e-tron, or the rotary range-extender engine of the A1 e-tron. The dimunitive Urban concept, internally called Neo, was killed off as well. Dürheimer also changed the complex reporting structure within the design department: chief designer Wolfgang Egger reported to Dürheimer, not to Audi CEO Rupert Stadler. It's been insinuated by Der Spiegel that VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn held Dürheimer's cautious E-mobility strategy against him, but there is reason to believe that animosity on a personal level played an equal role in the dismissal. Dürheimer is known for his insistence on disciplined processes and his straight talk. The corporate culture at Audi did not take kindly to an outsider, especially a former Porsche man, analyzing its missteps. What's more, Winterkorn seems to have disagreed with Dürheimer on the styling direction of the brand; unimpressed by some of Audi's recent proposals. It remains to be seen whether the next-generation Q7—described by insiders as ostentatious, bordering on brutal—will remain as it is or undergo a redesign prior to being unveiled to the public. Instrumented Test: 2014 Audi R8 V-10 Plus Comparison Test: 2013 BMW X3 xDrive28i vs. 2013 Audi Q5 2.0T, 2013 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Instrumented Test: 2013 Audi S8 Dürheimer's position reportedly will be taken over by Volkswagen Group R&D chief Ulrich Hackenberg. As to Dürheimer himself, his future within the VW Group is uncertain at this point. After the second departure of a head of R&D within the past 12 months, and in the midst of a substantial restructuring of the styling department, Audi is a brand in turmoil. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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