VW Names Audi's Keogh as CEO of North America

Volkswagen Group of America has named Audi's head Scott Keogh as its chief executive and president to replace Hinrich Woebcken, who will remain with the company in an advisory role.

Keogh, 49, will begin his new role on Nov. 1, the company announced Oct. 10.

In a related move, the company has named Mark Del Rosso to head Audi. Del Rosso has been serving as the president and chief executive for Bentley Motors, Inc. He previously served as Audi's chief operating officer. Woebcken, 58, had been leading Volkswagen since January of 2016, and had become the face of the company in the wake of its diesel emissions scandal that came to light in September of 2015. He appeared at the company's 2017-model-year fleet preview in Herndon, Va.

"Hinrich Woebcken has brought the Volkswagen brand back on track for success in the U.S. and the North American region," said Herbert Diess, Volkswagen AG's chief executive. "Considering the challenging conditions, these achievements deserve my dedicated recognition. Scott Keogh will build upon the momentum and implement the next stage in the growth strategy as we continue to develop Volkswagen into a more relevant player in North America."

Year-to-date sales through September place Volkswagen at 13 among best-selling automotive brands in the U.S. with 266,217 vehicles sold to retail and fleet buyers for a 5.45% increase from the same period in 2017. Audi has sold 164,834 vehicle year to date, which is a 3.92% increase over the prior year, according to GoodCarBadCar.net.

Keogh joined Audi in 2006 as chief marketing officer, and was named president in 2012. From 2010 to 2015, Audi doubled its sales, and customer satisfaction reached record levels, according to the company.