Died Ferdinand Piech – the father of modern Volkswagen Group

28 August 2019

On 83-m to year of life has died the Titan of German industry

On Sunday came the sad news – died on an outstanding top Manager global automotive industry, the Austro-German industrialist, engineer and other and other, Ferdinand Karl Piech (17.04.1937–25.08.2019).
F. Piech has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG concerns in 2002-2015 and MAN – in 2007-2015 Being the grandson of the legendary founder of the dynasty of Porsche – Ferdinand Porsche, he was one of the most famous representatives of this automotive names. Characteristically, Piech had Austrian citizenship.

A young Ferdinand Piech early in his career

His father was the Manager of the plant "Volkswagen" in Wolfsburg during the Second world war, and his mother was the daughter of a prominent autoconstructor Ferdinad Porsche. In 1962 Piech graduated from the higher technical school in Zurich, and his thesis was devoted to the engines "Formula 1", later got the honorary degree of doctor of Sciences "Honoris causa". 

The development team of the sports car Porsche 901 (the future of the iconic 911), a young Piech in the foreground on the right

 Since 1963 he worked with his uncle in the firm Porsche in Zuffenhausen and in 1970, was developed, which became a sport legend in the Porsche 917. 

One of the offshoots of Pieha – the legend of Motorsport racing prototype Porsche 917   

In 1971 he became technical managing Director of this company, but in 1972 the decision of the family Porsche all members of the clan were forced to leave the Board of the company Porsche. 

Piech with colleagues near prototype mid-engine coupe Porsche 914 with a V8 engine

Ferdinand Piech founded in Stuttgart its own design office, where he developed the world's first 5-cylinder diesel OM617, which is then put on a sedan Mercedes-Benz 240V 3.0 (W115). Topic 5-cylinder engines (petrol) he promoted in the 1970s, also a subsidiary company of Audi NSU, where since 1985, took the place of CEO. Among its developments is a integrated system of a full drive Quattro (1980) and diesel direct injection TDI (1989). He was able to implement a program to bring this brand into the category of premium brands and to stand on a par with Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Ferdinand Piech with the commemorative badge of the winner of the competition "European car of 1983" of the model Audi 100 (C3), one of the first in Europe with a streamlined body and four-wheel drive

In 1993, Piech became the lead already by the Volkswagen Group, then experiencing great difficulties, and up to 2015 was a member of the Supervisory Board.

In 1999 in the USA he was awarded the honorary title of "Automobile Manager of the century" (Global Automotive Elections Foundation). In 2002 he received the medal of Wilhelm Exner Austria Fund, and in 2011 in Germany, he was given the title of "the most important Manager since 1971" ("Manager Magazin") and in the same year the title "Man of the year" by American magazine Automobile Magazine.

However, Ferdinad Piecha career in the automotive industry was not easy. So, at the head of the Volkswagen Group, he actively contributed to the acquisition of such iconic brands as Rolls-Royce Cars (really the brand RR left for BMW and VW only got the factory in Crewe and the second prestigious brand Bentley), Bugatti and Lamborghini, and even the inclusion (after a protracted struggle, at first when the firm Porsche, almost bought counter giant Volkswagen Group) in its composition the most legendary Porsche. In the commercial vehicle segment in the group companies MAN and Scania.
And yet Piecha scandalous career ended in 2015 because of a conflict with the Chairman of the Board of Volkswagen Group, Martin Winterkorn (his former protege, by the way). Insiders, by the way, saying that in the pursuit of reducing costs concern Winterkorn was going to kill such a ruinous "sacred cow," Piecha as the Bugatti brand and top-sedan VW Phaeton second generation. Whatever it was, but in April 2015 Piech demanded to dismiss Winterkorn, but the Supervisory Board of the Volkswagen Group headed by his cousin, Wolfgang Porsche voted against the decision, and already most of Piechu together with his wife Ursula had to leave the Supervisory Board, however, retaining a significant stake in the company (all related families Piagow and Porsche owns over 50% shares of the concern).
Died Ferdinand Piech 25 August 2019 at the age of 82 years at the hospital of Rosenheim into Austria, before he felt ill during a gala dinner in his honor. By the way, he left behind twelve children (!) from different marriages.  

a Brief martyrology of the activities of Ferdinand Pieha (according to the website autox.com):
1937 was Born on 17 April in Vienna. His mother Louise Porsche, the daughter of Ferdinand, married the lawyer Anton Piëch.
1963 – a year after graduating in mechanical engineering faculty at the University of Zurich joined the family business.
1970 – Led the development of the legendary sports car Porsche 917, which won Le Mans in 1970. He left the firm of Porsche two years later, when the Porsche family decided to entrust the company's external managers.
1972 – Piech became a part subsidiary of Audi NSU, where he was appointed technical Director in 1974 and became a member of the administrative Council the following year. He initiated a radical change of image of the brand under the banner of avant-garde technology.
1980 – the Revolutionary Audi Quattro coupe became the ancestor of polnoprivodnyj Audi models and a real icon of Ingolstadt.
1990 – Aluminum monocoque of the Audi A8 sedan became one of the revolutionary technical innovation which appeared on the market in 1994.
1993 – Led the company VW as Chairman of the Board. Ten years later, he laid the Foundation for the current giant.
2002 – Became the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of VW without operational responsibilities, but continued to dictate the strategy of the Volkswagen Group.
2012 – After a long battle in which he was opposed by his cousin, Wolfgang Porsche, he was able to realize his dream – to bring the Porsche brand under the control of the Volkswagen Group.
2015 – Continued to attack Martin Winterkorn, whom he himself recently raised to the highest rank in the VW. However, the Board made against him, forcing him to resign..