Report: VW Group CEO to leave board positions at Skoda, Seat

German newspaper claims Herbert Diess will turn attention to developing Volkswagen Group's software arm

Reports suggest Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess is planning to step down from his role as head of the supervisory boards of both Skoda and Seat.

According to Reuters, which cites a report from German newspaper Handelsblatt, Diess will exit the role to focus on improving the VW Group's in-house software development operations. 

Handelsblatt reports that he will be succeeded at Skoda by technology boss Thomas Schmall, and at Seat by Murat Aksel, who heads up the group's procurement activities. 

Reportedly, bosses at Skoda and Seat are concerned the move will mean their respective brands will become less of a priority for the VW Group. 

News of Diess's shift comes as Volkswagen gears up to introduce a new electric car platform that will underpin the majority of the group's next-generation EVs, and largely standardise technical foundations across its various brands. 

The wide-reaching transformation is being spearheaded by Project Trinity: Volkswagen's development programme for the new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which will arrive in the middle of this decade with a heavy emphasis on connectivity and universal applicability.

*READ MORE*

*Volkswagen Project Trinity to herald car-buying revolution​*

*The Wolf of Wolfsburg: Autocar meets VW boss Herbert Diess​*