Volkswagen Group of America today announced the departure of Michael Horn, its president and CEO since 2014.
Horn is leaving "through mutual agreement" with Volkswagen to "pursue other opportunities," effective immediately, the company said in a press release.
Hinrich J. Woebcken, who was recently announced as the new Head of the North American Region and Chairman of Volkswagen Group of America, will assume the role of interim president and CEO.
“During his time in the U.S., Michael Horn built up a strong relationship with our national dealer body and showed exemplary leadership during difficult times for the brand,” said Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen brand, referring to the emissions cheating scandal that broke in September of 2015.
Horn, 54, joined Volkswagen in 1990 and has held many roles of increasing responsibility within the brand over his tenure, including head of sales for Europe.
Speculation surrounding Horn's resignation has been circulating since September, after the company admitted it had installed "cheating devices" in millions of its diesel models that tricked regulators into believing the cars complied with emissions standards.
Horn publicly admitted he first heard about possible irregularities in VW emissions reporting in early 2014, well before the scandal broke.
