Stephan Winkelmann to be new President of Bugatti

With effect from 1 January 2018, Stephan Winkelmann (53) is to be the President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. He is taking over from Wolfgang Dürheimer (59), who will then have held this position for five years in total and is retiring at his own request at the end of 2017.

Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Group: ”I accept Wolfgang Dürheimer’s wish to retire. I sincerely thank him for the outstanding work he has done in various positions in the Volkswagen Group over 18 years. At Bugatti he successfully completed the era of the Veyron and, with the development of the Chiron1, he has opened an exciting new chapter for the brand.”

“With Stephan Winkelmann, a proven expert in sports cars and the luxury sector is coming to Bugatti“, continues Matthias Müller. “I am convinced that Stephan Winkelmann will use his many years of experience in these fields as well as his sense of dealing with an exclusive clientele and his deep understanding for brands to bring new momentum to Bugatti’s further development and to lead this special brand into a sustainable future.“

Stephan Winkelmann comes from Audi Sport GmbH, where he has been Managing Director since the spring of 2016. Before that, he was President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. for 11 years. In these positions Winkelmann developed the brand to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of super sports cars. Before joining the Volkswagen Group in 2005 Winkelmann, who holds a degree in politics, worked for Fiat in various positions, most recently as CEO of Fiat Auto Austria, Switzerland and Germany.

Wolfgang Dürheimer started his career in 1986 at BMW, where he held various managerial positions. In 1999, Dürheimer, who holds degrees in automotive and industrial engineering, moved on to Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, where he was appointed Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development in 2001. Ten years later Dürheimer became President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors and Chief Representative of the Volkswagen Group heading the Group’s motorsports activities. In 2012, Dürheimer was appointed Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development of Audi AG. Two years later he returned to his former positions at Bugatti and Bentley, where his responsibilities included the development and launch of the Bugatti Chiron – the super sports car that has been receiving exceedingly positive feedback from customers and the media ever since.