Audi poaches Volvo to fill vacant technical development director position

(Peter Mertens shows the S90)

According to Reuters, Audi has hired Peter Mertens, senior vice president of global research and development at Volvo, as its technical development director. The position has been vacant since the former Audi technical development director Stefan Knirsch was suspended in September due to his involvement in the Volkswagen Group's exhaust emissions scandal.

Peter Mertens is Volvo's senior vice president of global research and development, and is also in charge of procurement, quality, supplier quality and other businesses. He previously worked at General Motors and Mercedes-Benz.

An Audi spokesperson revealed on November 24 local time that Mertens will take up the position at Audi as soon as possible, but did not disclose specific details. The spokesperson said, "Mertens combines quality and experience." Audi CEO Rupert Stadler also praised Mertens for "having extensive technical knowledge and a good international background, which are excellent qualities that will promote the further development of Audi's R&D department." Audi Labor Union Chairman Peter Mosch said on Twitter, "This (appointment of Mertens) is a good decision and is of great significance for further promoting digitalization and electric vehicle research and development."

Audi has lost four technology R&D leaders in its years of competition with BMW and Mercedes-Benz for new technologies. Audi hopes Mertens can bring stability.

Regarding the resignation of Stefan Knirsch, Audi's former technical development director, people familiar with the matter said it was related to Volkswagen's emissions cheating incident, but did not provide specific details. Audi and Volkswagen declined to comment on the matter, and Reuters has not been able to contact Knirsch himself.

On November 13, Volkswagen Group admitted that some Audi automatic transmission models also tampered with actual emission values ​​in exhaust gas tests. Subsequently, foreign media broke the news that the position of Audi's technical development director would remain vacant until the US law firm Jones Day concluded its investigation into Audi's exhaust gas emissions incident. However, Audi's hiring of Mertens was a "slap in the face".

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.