Audi appoints temporary chairman following Stadler arrest

Audi has appointed Abraham Schot as a temporary board chairman following the arrest of former chief executive Rupert Stadler in connection with the diesel emissions scandal that has rocked Audi and the Volkswagen Group.

Schot has been the member of the board of management in charge of sales and marketing since September last year.

The announcement comes as a response to Stadler’s request that the Supervisory Board release him from his position in the Board of Management of Audi AG and in the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG.

A statement from Audi confirmed the move: “This release applies temporarily, until the circumstances that led to his [Stadler’s] arrest have been clarified.”

Audi is one of four German manufacturers involved in the emissions cheating scandal, when it was first exposed in September 2015 that up to 11 million vehicles worldwide had been fitted with ‘defeat devices’ in an attempt to beat emissions tests.

Last week, the Braunschweig public prosecutor issued Volkswagen AG with a fine of €1billion with the German manufacturing group accepting the amount and admitting responsibility.