Thomas Schäfer, chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars and head of the ‘Volume’ brand group, has been appointed chairman of ŠKODA AUTO’s Supervisory Board. He succeeds Murat Aksel, who remains a member of the supervisory body.

Aiming to “significantly and sustainably reduce costs and complexities,” the leadership move “will further intensify and accelerate the cooperation within the ‘Volume’ brand group to leverage synergy potential,” according to a company statement.

“At the Group level, ŠKODA is responsible for emerging markets, such as India and North Africa, and for project such as developing the next generation of the VW Passat and ŠKODA SUPERB;” said Schäfer. “Within the ‘Volume brand group, ŠKODA plays a vital role, and its expertise will make a significant contribution to leveraging synergy potential.

The Volume brand group consists of the Group brands Volkswagen Passenger Cars, ŠKODA, SEAT/ Cupra and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Since the first quarter of this year, Volume brand group results have been reported separately in the Volkswagen Group’s quarterly report.

Schäfer also was recently elected chairman of the Advisory Board of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and chairman of the Supervisory Board of SEAT/Cupra.