- Chairman of the Board of Management at Audi, Rupert Stadler: "Michael Renz will firmly establish Audi Sport as a major player in the global market"
- Thanks to predecessor Stephan Winkelmann for restructuring the Audi subsidiary brand
- Extended model range for further growth
Neckarsulm, 20 December, 2017 – Michael-Julius Renz (60) is due to become the new CEO of Audi Sport GmbH. He follows Stephan Winkelmann (53), who will leave at the turn of the year to become president of Bugatti.
"With his international experience, Michael-Julius Renz will further drive the growth of Audi Sport worldwide. Under his leadership, we want to firmly establish the brand as a global player in the market," said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management at AUDI AG.
Renz has a degree in Business Management and has held managerial roles at AUDI AG for over 20 years. As President of the Audi Sales Division China since 2015, he has been responsible for sales and brand awareness in one of the world's most important markets. Renz also previously managed sales in Europe along with centralised marketing of the Audi brand. The new CEO will take over the operational activities of Audi Sport GmbH from March 1 onwards.
He succeeds Stephan Winkelmann as head of Audi Sport GmbH, who will take over as President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. in Molsheim, France, on January 1, 2018. Winkelmann has been CEO at Audi Sport GmbH since March 2016. Before coming to Audi Sport, he was president of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., an Italian subsidiary of Audi, for more than 11 years.
"I would like to thank Stephan Winkelmann for his commitment and his successful contribution to the company", said Mr Stadler.
"He has positioned Audi Sport as an independent and forward-thinking brand, and has made a decisive impact in terms of setting the course for the future growth of the company. Michael-Julius Renz will inherit an excellent legacy."
Audi Sport GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of AUDI AG based in Neckarsulm, Germany. The brand focuses on development, production and sales of the Audi R and RS models, customer racing, Audi-exclusive vehicle personalization and the accessories in the Audi collection. Over the last six years, Audi Sport has more than doubled its sales figures, seeing out 2017 as another record year. By 2020, the company will have expanded its range from 11 models to 16. The path towards continued growth is also already set.
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The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 16 locations in 12 countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).
In 2016, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.868 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 3,457 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 55,451 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2016 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €59.3 billion and an operating profit of €3.1 billion. At present, approximately 88,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.