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Stephan Winkelmann Leaves Audi Sport To Head Bugatti


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Volkswagen AG announced that Audi Sport's CEO Stephan Winkelmann will be making the move to Bugatti at the end of 2017. There, he will take over as president of the company and replace 59-year-old Wolfgang Dürheimer, the man who brought us the world-beating Chiron. His spot at Audi Sport will be filled by head of Audi's China sales division, Michael-Julius Renz.

 

Winkelmann, who headed Lamborghini from 2005 to 2016, pushed the Sant'#### marque to major success during those 11 years. Capitalizing on the success of the Gallardo, he piloted the Huracán, which has easily become the best selling model in company history. Winkelmann also instituted big changes at Audi Sport in his short stint with the brand, including a name change from Quattro GmbH that was made under his oversight. Additionally, the newly released R8 Spyder and RS5 models were developed and introduced during his tenure.

 

While Dürheimer has given up his spot with Bugatti, he will remain chairman at Bentley for the time being. According to Autocar, Volkswagen's long-term plans include having Winkelmann replace Dürheimer at the British automaker once his contract expires in 2019. Dürheimer previously worked within the VW AG as a Porsche executive and Audi lead man, though his feuding relationship with former Volkswagen chairman Martin Winterkorn put an end to his position at the Ingolstadt brand.

 

Winkelmann's replacement at Audi Sport, Renz, has been with the company since 1994. He began as head of retail marketing and worked his way through the ranks, becoming sales chief in both Germany and China.

 

Autocar also reports that Audi Sport engineer Stephen Reil will follow Winkelmann out of the company. Reil, who was appointed as general manager over Audi's performance division in 2011, has overseen the development of every RS model, plus the second-generation R8, over the last six years, earning his keep as one of the most respected in the business.

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Losing Winkleman was one of the worst things which happened to Lamborghini the new guy is nonexistent.

 

Domenicali no doubt isn't as charismatic as Winkelmann but he seems to be doing a good job. I.e. the H Performante is definitely a winner and the AV-S isn't too shabby either.

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Domenicali no doubt isn't as charismatic as Winkelmann but he seems to be doing a good job. I.e. the H Performante is definitely a winner and the AV-S isn't too shabby either.

 

I would've thought at least the P was still the works left from the era of Winkelmann, the S is a facelift not a lot of effort required, I want to see what the replacements will look like if Domenicali is still around.

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Not to disagree but aren't both of those models best handling lambos of all time? Surely most of the credit goes to engineers.

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Losing Winkleman was one of the worst things which happened to Lamborghini the new guy is nonexistent.

 

Trust that Ferrari F1 provenance to do the right thing.

 

 

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I would've thought at least the P was still the works left from the era of Winkelmann, the S is a facelift not a lot of effort required, I want to see what the replacements will look like if Domenicali is still around.

 

Fair enough but Winkelmann was kind of in idle already since the late 2nd quarter of 2015 after launching the Av-SV roadster. VAG was already reshuffling the deck. Domenicali gave the green light on the H P and the Av-S.

 

 

Not to disagree but aren't both of those models best handling lambos of all time? Surely most of the credit goes to engineers.

 

No prob at all. In that case, then Maurizio Reggiani deserves the greatest credit. A little trivia that Reggiani was actually Bugatti's employee no.2 during its EB110 era.

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Losing Winkleman was one of the worst things which happened to Lamborghini the new guy is nonexistent.

Serious question, being realistic what are you expecting from him?

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Serious question, being realistic what are you expecting from him?

 

More interactions with the owners it's one of the biggest things for me, hard to explain but the whole customer relations vibe changed.

 

The vision for the future of the brand, Winklemann always seemed to have something in the works, information was slowly trickled down to owners for feedback etc.

 

I liked Winklemann's philosophy for the future of the brand, he was pursuing lighter more track oriented cars, we've heard nothing from this guy, yes he's finishing some works which were well started by his predecessor, bringing the Urus to the market which was planned years ago but do we know what's next for this brand? We have no idea, he does not say a God damn thing to anyone.

 

In his defense I believe his powers were diminished at his appointment, he does not have as much free rein as Winklemann did but still it would be nice to know which direction the company is heading in, future designs and philosophies, his vision for the brand, interactions with exiting owners, organizing events, etc.

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More interactions with the owners it's one of the biggest things for me, hard to explain but the whole customer relations vibe changed.

 

The vision for the future of the brand, Winklemann always seemed to have something in the works, information was slowly trickled down to owners for feedback etc.

 

I liked Winklemann's philosophy for the future of the brand, he was pursuing lighter more track oriented cars, we've heard nothing from this guy, yes he's finishing some works which were well started by his predecessor, bringing the Urus to the market which was planned years ago but do we know what's next for this brand? We have no idea, he does not say a God damn thing to anyone.

 

In his defense I believe his powers were diminished at his appointment, he does not have as much free rein as Winklemann did but still it would be nice to know which direction the company is heading in, future designs and philosophies, his vision for the brand, interactions with exiting owners, organizing events, etc.

I wouldn't expect an ex-Ferrari guy to share a lot.

 

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More interactions with the owners it's one of the biggest things for me, hard to explain but the whole customer relations vibe changed.

 

The vision for the future of the brand, Winklemann always seemed to have something in the works, information was slowly trickled down to owners for feedback etc.

 

I liked Winklemann's philosophy for the future of the brand, he was pursuing lighter more track oriented cars, we've heard nothing from this guy, yes he's finishing some works which were well started by his predecessor, bringing the Urus to the market which was planned years ago but do we know what's next for this brand? We have no idea, he does not say a God damn thing to anyone.

 

In his defense I believe his powers were diminished at his appointment, he does not have as much free rein as Winklemann did but still it would be nice to know which direction the company is heading in, future designs and philosophies, his vision for the brand, interactions with exiting owners, organizing events, etc.

 

:iamwithstupid: :iamwithstupid: :iamwithstupid:

 

Damn it Fortis...stop reading my mind! Winkleman was a very involved CEO, not just as the face but also as a point of interaction with the brand. I've met him quite a few times, he's got a great vision and the ability to execute, but he also exudes a vibe of personal care that Domenicali just doesn't. I met Domenicali at Monterey car week last year and his presence was not the same...Winklemann just briefly stopped by the Lamborghini display at the Quail and everyone naturally gravitated towards him. This year at car week Domenicali was pretty non-existant and Winkleman was very present.

 

Winkleman is a tough act to follow but under him Lamborghini felt very open with clearly defined vision and objectives. Presently it feels like the doors are shut while they figure out what they're trying to do behind them. Again, being the CEO of a company isn't easy, but if you want to talk about brand image, a guy like Winkleman is a dream because he adds that human touch to the equation that is difficult to replicate. He's like a Wall Street version of Horacio Pagani: Pagani is an artist and the core of his company; during his tenure at Lamborghini, Winkleman was that "corporate man" that became the face and trusted visionary for the brand. We regard Pagani as the artist, rightfully so, and Winkleman is the business man, through and through.

 

For Domenicali the expectation was to take ownership of that role as the face of the brand...but I think for many Winkleman is still the face of it despite being gone for 2 years. I'm not rooting against Domenicali, I hope he continues the great trend Lamborghini has been on, but over the last year and a half the personal face of Lamborghini has been missing. Maybe we need a pic of Salamone with him...that would shake things up :icon_thumleft:

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Without googling name another CEO of a VAG brand. Now another CEO outside of Vag, who runs rolls?

It should not be a defining factor. He has a load of stuff to clear up and prioritise left over from Winkelmans rein and he is running a company that has a looooooong product cycle so his input is way off. Just because people want titbits info to starve off their impatience does not define his role and his ability.

We have just had a weekend when a lambo chased the formula one field off the grid during Ferraris 70 year celebration. No other Grand Prix does a car not related to the cars on track does this happen.

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Without googling name another CEO of a VAG brand. Now another CEO outside of Vag, who runs rolls?

It should not be a defining factor. He has a load of stuff to clear up and prioritise left over from Winkelmans rein and he is running a company that has a looooooong product cycle so his input is way off. Just because people want titbits info to starve off their impatience does not define his role and his ability.

We have just had a weekend when a lambo chased the formula one field off the grid during Ferraris 70 year celebration. No other Grand Prix does a car not related to the cars on track does this happen.

 

Oliver Blume (Porsche) and Harald Kruger (BMW).

 

As far as Domenicali's performance is going, I'll quote myself:

 

I'm not rooting against Domenicali, I hope he continues the great trend Lamborghini has been on, but over the last year and a half the personal face of Lamborghini has been missing.

 

The only real gripe is more PR related...We never really talked about his ability to handle the dollars and meet the numbers. Part of being a CEO is you have to be the face of the company, and in that arena I think you can agree he's nowhere near as much of a visible face as Winkleman was..so far. Hopefully he's kicking some a$$ behind the scenes...We Lambo fans would just like to see him doing it in a way visible to us rather than being completely in the dark.

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Without googling name another CEO of a VAG brand. Now another CEO outside of Vag, who runs rolls?

It should not be a defining factor. He has a load of stuff to clear up and prioritise left over from Winkelmans rein and he is running a company that has a looooooong product cycle so his input is way off. Just because people want titbits info to starve off their impatience does not define his role and his ability.

We have just had a weekend when a lambo chased the formula one field off the grid during Ferraris 70 year celebration. No other Grand Prix does a car not related to the cars on track does this happen.

 

 

You asked what the difference was and I gave you my opinion as a long time loyal customer of the brand, you seem to like what this guy is doing so they might interact with you in a different manner.

 

BTW there is nothing wrong with being impatient, I consider impatience an asset not a liability.

 

 

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The only real gripe is more PR related...We never really talked about his ability to handle the dollars and meet the numbers. Part of being a CEO is you have to be the face of the company, and in that arena I think you can agree he's nowhere near as much of a visible face as Winkleman was..so far. Hopefully he's kicking some a$$ behind the scenes...We Lambo fans would just like to see him doing it in a way visible to us rather than being completely in the dark.

 

Exactly, let's hope he will deliver the goods.

 

The guy definitely has something huge going for him, he's born in the same day as me :icon_mrgreen:

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I think it boils down to personality. W enjoys working the crowd and loves to be in the leading role at centre stage. D is more reclusive and is the mastermind-behind-the-scene type. Both are likely equally capable; it's a matter of introvert vs. extrovert. Those who prefer W's ways would likely find D a bit "hard to reach". Aside from the usual Lambo events, I was fortunate enough to have breakfast with W 2 years ago and to have dinner with D in March this year so I got a glimpse of what they are like off stage. Very different personality without the slightest of doubt but both also seem very capable of their job. One obviously had been proven; the other seems to be on the right track but using a very different approach.

 

Not sure if you guys are aware of this: there is a side effect with W's ways. There can only be ONE Mr. Lamborghini and consequently Balboni and the few "elders" of the original Automobili Lamborghini didn't quite get along with W as he more or less barred or minimized their involvements in sanctioned Lambo events that applied all the way down to the dealers'. D had since relaxed that and had done a good job restoring the ties. I think D deserves some credit on that.

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Not sure if you guys are aware of this: there is a side effect with W's ways. There can only be ONE Mr. Lamborghini and consequently Balboni and the few "elders" of the original Automobili Lamborghini didn't quite get along with W as he more or less barred or minimized their involvements in sanctioned Lambo events that applied all the way down to the dealers'. D had since relaxed that and had done a good job restoring the ties. I think D deserves some credit on that.

 

Not cool on W's part, but I could totally see that based on interactions he's had with some people on LP.

 

And I think ultimately having an Italian run an Italian exotic car company is the way it should be. Don't think Domenicali, Marchionne, Montezemelo, etc. would ever be asked to run Porsche, Audi, MB, BMW, etc. for the same reasons.

 

 

 

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, you seem to like what this guy is doing so they might interact with you in a different manner.

 

BTW there is nothing wrong with being impatient, I consider impatience an asset not a liability.

For clarity on my part, I genuinely think he has a mamouth array of tasks ahead of him, some imposed by Winkie's legacy and some by the pressures above.

He did some good stuff with the Ferrari team and acquitted himself well there so I believe the appointment can potentially be a great one.

 

It is hard for a CEO to come out dancing when it is not his project on the table.

Would you rather an awesome product or a showy CEO?

 

I recently delivered a huge piece of work at work, took the team to celebrate and the management pointed out that 15% of the project was done by the person that initially took up

the project...

Winkies work will be a benchmark people refer to

 

But this... http://www.lambopower.com/forum/index.php?...t&p=1289857

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Now it's my turn to be genuinely curious, what tasks do you think are left behind and what do you think he's working on?

 

I am the CEO of my companies, the face of my entire business, when I get involved magic happens, when I look at certain sections where I delegate and leave others in charge or in control things are always failing to meet my expectations.

 

The number one priority is to listen and interact with the clients keep them interested so they spend with you, it's a super fast moving world out there, people lose interest very fast, fresh, new exciting things are popping up everywhere, most customers have a very short attention span.

 

To answer your question, I want the CEO to do both, deliver an awesome product and be "showy" as you put it, that's the reason those bastards get the big bucks, they need to do it all with no excuses, work their asses off :icon_mrgreen:

 

Anyway let's hope he's cooking something tasty while he's being quiet in the kitchen.

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I think it boils down to personality. W enjoys working the crowd and loves to be in the leading role at centre stage. D is more reclusive and is the mastermind-behind-the-scene type. Both are likely equally capable; it's a matter of introvert vs. extrovert. Those who prefer W's ways would likely find D a bit "hard to reach". Aside from the usual Lambo events, I was fortunate enough to have breakfast with W 2 years ago and to have dinner with D in March this year so I got a glimpse of what they are like off stage. Very different personality without the slightest of doubt but both also seem very capable of their job. One obviously had been proven; the other seems to be on the right track but using a very different approach.

 

Not sure if you guys are aware of this: there is a side effect with W's ways. There can only be ONE Mr. Lamborghini and consequently Balboni and the few "elders" of the original Automobili Lamborghini didn't quite get along with W as he more or less barred or minimized their involvements in sanctioned Lambo events that applied all the way down to the dealers'. D had since relaxed that and had done a good job restoring the ties. I think D deserves some credit on that.

 

That's not cool at all, I had no idea W did that.

 

 

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