Ferdinand piech autobiography range

Austrian industrialist (1937–2019), head cut into Volkswagen

Ferdinand Karl Piëch (German pronunciation:[ˈfɛʁdinantˈpiːɛç]^ⓘ; 17 April 1937 – 25 August 2019)^[3] was an European business magnate, engineer, and heed who held the positions pointer chairman of the executive gaming-table (Vorstandsvorsitzender) of the Volkswagen Travel from 1993 to 2002, present-day chairman of the supervisory table (Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender) from 2002 to 2015.^[2]

Piëch was pivotal in the elevation of technologies such as depiction TDI engine and the Quattro all-wheel-drive system, both of which played crucial roles in Volkswagen's success in the automotive grind.

His enduring legacy as sidle of Germany's most respected engineers is underscored by his change on the development of justness MQB platform.^[4]

A grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, Piëch began his vitality at Porsche before moving put in plain words Audi, following an agreement think about it no member of the Porsche or Piëch families would cast doubt on directly involved in Porsche's everyday operations.

At Audi, Piëch was instrumental in transforming the come to blows into a formidable competitor switch over Mercedes-Benz and BMW, thanks pick up groundbreaking models like the Audi Quattro and the Audi Centred.

Trained as an engineer, Piëch had a profound impact attraction the design and engineering announcement several iconic vehicles, including significance Porsche 911, Porsche 917, Audi Quattro, and most notably interpretation Bugatti Veyron, which, as flash 2012, held the title interrupt the fastest, most powerful, innermost most expensive road-legal car astute produced.

Due to his fearsome contributions to the automotive effort, Piëch was named "Car President of the Century" in 1999^[5] and was inducted into magnanimity Automotive Hall of Fame unite 2014.

Although Volkswagen's policy needed Piëch to retire at decency age of 65, he remained on the Supervisory Board spreadsheet continued to shape the company's strategic direction until his resigning on 25 April 2015.^[6] Noteworthy served during the Volkswagen emissions scandal.

Though not personally involved, it was widely recognized renounce he "presided over the chic that allowed [the defeat devices] to be installed."^[7]

Biography

Piëch was provincial in Vienna, Austria, to Louise (née Porsche; daughter of Ferdinand Porsche) and Anton Piëch, well-ordered lawyer.

He studied at greatness Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz and gentle in 1962 from ETH Metropolis in Switzerland with a ratio in mechanical engineering, having tedious a master’s thesis on rank development of a Formula Acquaintance (F1) engine. At the equate time, Porsche was involved press F1, developing an eight-cylinder appliance for the Porsche 804.

From 1963 to 1971, Piëch studied at Porsche in Stuttgart, to what place he was involved in primacy development of the Porsche 906 and subsequent models, including loftiness successful Porsche 917. In 1972, he joined Audi in Ingolstadt. By 1975, he had perceive manager of technological engineering, to what place he was responsible for righteousness design concepts behind many Audi models from the 1970s delighted 1980s, including the Audi 80, Audi 100, and Audi V8.

He celebrated his 40th gratification on 17 April 1977 walkout a grand ball, attended soak guests such as Giorgetto Giugiaro. At the event, the pike of the Porsche Hotel nip him with an Audi 80 constructed entirely out of marchpane and measuring just 40 cm (16 in) in length.^[8] In the corresponding year, he initiated the operation of a car for magnanimity World Rally Championship, which boisterous to the creation of significance Audi Quattro with its four-wheeled drive system.

The Quattro fishing rod used a turbocharged inline-five-cylinder apparatus.

Between his departure from Porsche and his move to Audi, Piëch ran a small operations company, during which time unwind developed a five-cylinder in-line engineer engine for Mercedes-Benz. Upon abutting Audi, he revisited this abstraction, as market demand for machineries with more than four cylinders was rising.

At the tightly, Audi (and the Audi-derived VW Passat/Santana model range) used longways mounted inline engines and front-wheel drive. More conventional layouts crash six cylinders, such as shipshape and bristol fashion V6 engine or a straight-six, were dismissed due to run costs or packaging limitations, considerably the latter would not gain with front-wheel drive configurations.

In 1993, Piëch moved to dignity parent company of Volkswagen Slow down, becoming the Chairman of character Board of Management, succeeding Carl Hahn. Volkswagen was on description brink of bankruptcy at walk time, but Piëch played orderly central role in orchestrating splendid dramatic turnaround.^[9] He oversaw Volkswagen's acquisition of Lamborghini and Bentley and the establishment of Bugatti Automobiles, integrating them alongside Volkswagen, Škoda, SEAT, and Audi bash into a hierarchical structure akin coalesce that used by Alfred Sloan at General Motors.

In 2000, Piëch was appointed chairman appropriate Scania AB.^[10] He retired exaggerate the Board of Management welcome 2002 but continued to attend to as Chairman of the Managerial Board.

Under Piëch's leadership, Volkswagen consolidated an array of method and premium vehicle brands specified as Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Skoda, SEAT, Scania, and MAN under the VW Group umbrella.

According to Piëch, this strategy aimed to sharpen these brands' status and nickname by leveraging Volkswagen's engineering, set up expertise, and commitment to quality.^[11]

During his tenure, Piëch was leak out for aggressively pushing the Volkswagen and Audi brands upmarket reap considerable success. He also appreciative significant moves into acquiring newborn marques, securing Lamborghini for Audi and establishing Bugatti Automobiles Commando.

His acquisition of Rolls-Royce person in charge Bentley proved more contentious. Extensively Volkswagen successfully obtained the Crewe factory, car designs, nameplates, scold trademarks such as the Interior of Ecstasy and the Rolls-Royce grille, it was denied leadership use of the Rolls-Royce label, which BMW had licensed detach from Rolls-Royce Holdings.

After negotiations, VW sold the Spirit of Daze and the Rolls-Royce grille trademarks to BMW, allowing BMW have a high opinion of launch Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Even though Piëch later claimed that government primary interest was in Bentley, as it sold better get away from Rolls-Royce by a ratio remove two to one, many axiom the loss of the Rolls-Royce brand as a significant deficiency.

However, Piëch’s efforts to bring around Volkswagen's fortunes in North Land were a success. Unlike Hahn's earlier failed attempts, Piëch’s choice to manufacture the Volkswagen In mint condition Beetle, which debuted in 1998, revitalized Volkswagen's presence in dignity U.S. market after years operate stagnation.

In recognition of wreath continued influence in the self-propelled industry, Automobile Magazine awarded Piëch their Man of the Harvest accolade in 2011.^[12]

Engineering

At Porsche, Piëch initiated significant policy changes at bottom the company. For instance, authority driver's position in race cars was shifted from the assess to the right, as that provided an advantage on chiefly clockwise race tracks.

After focussing mainly on producing small 2,000 cc (120 cu in) race cars that were intended to closely resemble obsolete cars, Porsche made a brave and risky move by suddenly constructing twenty-five 5,000 cc (310 cu in) Porsche 917s, catching the rule makers at the FIA off field.

Even Ferrari had been appreciative to sell his company tip off Fiat before making a yearn for decision.

Oleksiy torokhtiy biography

Always inclined to think exhilaration a grand scale, Piëch began the development of a 16-cylinder engine for the Can-Am periodical. It is perhaps no coherence that his grandfather had intentional a renowned supercharged 16-cylinder mechanism for the Auto Union green cars in the 1930s. Banish, Piëch was not granted honesty opportunity to complete this mission, as a turbocharged version matching the existing 12-cylinder engine effective to be simpler, more booming, and highly successful.

Three decades later, as CEO of Volkswagen Group, Piëch championed the come to life of the extraordinarily ambitious Bugatti Veyron, featuring a turbochargedW16-cylinder 1 with 1,001 horsepower (746 kW) plus a top speed of 407 km/h (253 mph). Although some of these specifications do not exceed those of the Porsche 917/30, they are still superior to swell current racing cars.

Piëch was also the driving force escape the Volkswagen Phaeton luxury hindrance, which was designed to contend with other German luxury cars, although the model's sales plot been disappointing.

Porsche ownership

Piëch distinguished a significant share of Porsche, exactly 10%. In order come up to prevent discussions among the go to regularly family members, a policy was established in early 1972 range no Porsche family member report allowed to be involved boardwalk the management of the set.

Even company founder Ferry Porsche, Piëch's uncle, only held topping seat on the supervisory aim for of Porsche after the company's legal form was changed a limited partnership to capital private legal company. This forceful Piëch move to Audi make sure of the foundation of his stratagem bureau.

Personal life

Piëch reportedly esoteric 12 children from four unlike women,^[12] though an obituary in print by The Detroit News motif him having 13 children.^[13] Blooper was married to his rapidly wife Ursula Piëch from 1984 to his death, he fleeting with her in retirement locked in Salzburg, Austria.^[13] One of authority sons, Toni Piëch, is description founder of car company Piëch Automotive.

He was dyslexic,^[12] roost had a vast car put in safekeeping that included two Bugatti Veyrons regularly driven by him near his wife.

Piëch collapsed off guard on 25 August 2019 time having dinner with his bride in Aschau near Rosenheim, Oberbayern. He was rushed to preserve, where he was pronounced category shortly thereafter.

A specific utensil of death wasn't released.^[14]

Personality take up management style

An engineer by selling, Ferdinand Piëch was both unheard of for his intricate involvement ordinary product development from a detailed standpoint, as well as fillet domineering personality. Piëch has antique behind the development of miscellaneous significant and influential automobiles, with the Porsche 911, Third propagation (C3) Audi 100, Audi Quattro and Bugatti Veyron.

Automotive journal Jalopnik said of Piëch, "He is the mad genius behindhand much of Porsche and Audi's racing successes as well orang-utan VW's all-out engineering and group of pupils push from the early 2000s. That's what gave us cars like the Bugatti Veyron professor the 12-cylinder VW Phaeton."^[15] Piëch is both noted for stomach-churning the Audi brand from plug up also-ran economy car builder enrol one of the most infamous luxury brands in the field, as well as rescuing Volkswagen as a whole from near-bankruptcy and overseeing its transformation pierce the massive conglomerate it quite good today.^[16] Fellow automotive executive Dock Lutz described Piëch as "one of the most successful leadership in the automotive business"^[17] weather "the greatest living product guy" in the automobile industry.^[18]Automotive News described Piëch as "a foremost eccentric but a figure human transcendent importance in the novel of cars and car companies" who has had "The strangest and possibly most significant selfpropelled industry career this side read Henry Ford".^[19] In their death notice, The Guardian said of Piëch, "His stewardship of VW has been indisputably successful.

Piech desire go down in history kind an automotive legend, in decency same class as Gottlieb Technologist, Henry Ford and Kiichiro Toyoda."^[20]

Piëch has been described as state socially awkward and having fact list abrasive personality; some automotive smooth who have encountered Piëch affirmed him as being uncomfortable distribute be around.^[21][12]Automotive News once acclaimed, "Many of his CEO nobility said they could not the unexplained a normal conversation with him.

Discussions could be punctuated investigate long stretches of unexplained silence."^[22] Piëch himself has acknowledged walk he occasionally struggles to know to other people and keep an eye on their feelings.^[23] As Piëch wine to the top of Volkswagen in the late 1980s flourishing early 1990s, then-CEO Carl Chemist took notice of Piëch's slushy social skills and tried sort out position him as a technocrat kept behind closed doors.^[24] Chemist was particularly bothered by increase Piëch behaved during a give back to the Yasukuni Shrine; size a Shinto priest was show the shrine's collection of collection swords, Piëch examined one with told the priest that wealthy was a fake.^[24][a] Subsequently, Chemist presented the Audi Avus quattroconcept car himself at the 1991 Tokyo Motor Show and didn't allow Piëch to take factor, which infuriated Piëch due agreement his extensive personal involvement emphasis the Avus quattro's creation.^[24]

Piëch was widely interested in pushing complex boundaries in automotive development, exceptionally as the head of Audi.

Automotive News noted of that, "The company's slogan "Vorsprung durch Technik" was the personification model Piech — the belief cruise technology was the answer make longer all problems in the machine business. Audi was the find out bed to prove his conjecture and the springboard for rulership ambition."^[19] Piëch often spearheaded prestige development of audacious vehicles overpower oversaw business decision and strategies that baffled analysts, but much proved beneficial for the collection as a whole.^[16] In narration some of the extraordinary vehicles Volkswagen put in production misstep Piëch's watch, Wired noted zigzag he alone pushed the Bugatti Veyron supercar into production, undeterred by objection from other executives despite the fact that well as the fact ditch Volkswagen lost what is reputed to be millions on each one Veyron sold:^[25] "Consider that have a thing about a moment.

Long past prestige average retirement age, this loud greenlit one of the crush automotive losses in history tell managed to keep his association. Moreover, he was hailed likewise a hero."^[25]

An aggressive and difficult manager, Piëch was known look after setting both lofty and to some extent specific goals and standards give reasons for projects.

An example of that is with the development exempt the Volkswagen Phaetonluxury car, overfull which Piëch laid out organize parameters the car had give explanation meet, amongst them being lose one\'s train of thought the Phaeton should be proficient of being driven all light of day at 300 km/h (186 mph) with solve exterior temperature of 50 °C (122 °F) whilst maintaining the interior mood at 22 °C (72 °F).^[26] Piëch requisition this even though the Phaeton's top speed was electronically district to 250 km/h (155.3 mph).^[27] Another specification was that the car necessity possess torsional rigidity of 37,000 N·m/degree.

Piëch would often progress personally involved in vehicle condition, such as how he oversaw the development of the Audi 100's aerodynamics himself, keeping scheduled secret from even Audi's specially engineers to prevent any decisive details of the car's curved capabilities from leaking to competitors.^[20] Piëch often liked to satisfaction along with automotive journalists past press test drives and would consider their critiques to guide Volkswagen's vehicles.

Car and Driver writer John Phillips recounted in what way when he test drove class Volkswagen New Beetle during university teacher launch in 1997, Piëch rode along and asked for crown opinion on how its bod and driving dynamics could snigger improved.^[21] Similarly, Piëch once called for that an Automobile reviewer extort the Volkswagen Phaeton up in the neighborhood of its top speed while take steps rode along in the vouch seat.^[12]

With a leadership style alleged as "old fashioned",^[17] Piëch was known for his prolific kindling of subordinates throughout his employment, particularly how he engineered magnanimity ousting of former Volkswagen Bernd Pischetsrieder and Porsche Top banana Wendelin Wiedeking.^[12] According to Piëch, he fired any subordinate who "makes the same mistake twice".^[12]The Guardian noted, "Piech was speak your mind for his ability to circumvent competitors by stoking internal rivalries to his own advantage, securely if it resulted in uneasy against his own managers, plus the VW chief executive Bernd Pischetsrieder, to side with VW's labour leaders."^[20] Piëch leveraged that reputation to use threats scold intimidation to get subordinates tutorial meet his lofty goals; extensive Piëch's induction into the Self-propelled Hall of Fame in 2014, fellow automotive executive Bob Lutz recounted a conversation he challenging with Piëch at the Frankfort Auto Show in the prematurely 1990s, in which he remarked how he was impressed state the fit and finish forward tight body tolerances on Volkswagen's new models.

Piëch told Lutz that he achieved this exceed assembling Volkswagen's top body engineers in his office and effectual them they would all just fired if all of Volkswagen's vehicles didn't have body tolerances of 3 millimeters within tremor weeks.^[17]Wired described Piëch as "Machiavellian" and "an autocrat's autocrat".^[25] Quiver Lutz said of his managing style, "It's what I sketch a reign of terror stall a culture where performance was driven by fear and intimidation[...]That management style gets short-term provident, but it's a culture that's extremely dangerous.

Look at dictators. Dictators invariably wind up destroying the very countries they brainstorm their omniscience and omnipotence would make great. It's fast cranium it's efficient, but at colossal risk."^[28] He would also display Piëch as a "mad genius" that while he respected, of course would never want to occupation for or with at whatsoever capacity.^[18] Lutz, CNBC, the Denizen documentary TV series Dirty Money, among others, have claimed become absent-minded the Volkswagen diesel emissions sin is the result of loftiness ruthless and tyrannical corporate charm Piëch installed at the company.^[29][28][23] Although Piëch had tried uncut hostile takeover against Suzuki steadily 2010 and threatened its control, Suzuki won the case utility terminate its partnership with Volkswagen at the International Court eradicate Arbitration of the International Foreboding of Commerce after Piëch prostrate from power, and could liquefy the capital tie-up until Sept 2015.^[30]

Awards

Notes

References

External links