Stefan Voswinkel (44), who will take up his role from January 1, 2021, replaces Florian Urbitsch who has left the company.

Christoph Adomat, currently head of technology communications, will manage the product communications portfolio in addition to his other duties until Mr Voswinkel’s employment.

Mr Voswinkel will report to Robin Aschhoff, head of communications of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand.

Mr Voswinkel started his career as a journalist with Auto Bild in 2009 following his internship.

He was head of department with Bild from 2016 and deputy editor-in-chief of Motoring, also with Bild, from 2018.

Currently he is deputy editor-in-chief, holding the position of an editor-in-chief, of the Auto Competence Center, which groups together editorial automotive content, both printed and digital, across all titles of the Bild brand family.

The appointment comes as Volkswagen Passenger Cars increases its volumes and product lines. It is now present in more than 150 markets and produces vehicles at more than 50 locations in 14 countries.

Volkswagen delivered about 6.3 million vehicles in 2019, including best-sellers such as the Golf, Tiguan, Jetta and Passat.

The company has a current workforce of 195,878 employees in addition to more than 10,000 dealers with 86,000 employees.

It is now expanding its product portfolio into electric mobility and smart mobility with digital transformation of the brand being key strategies for the future.

By Neil Dowling