VW Scandal Leads to Hackenberg’s Resignation

Ulrich Hackenberg (Credit: © Volkswagen)

The Volkswagen emissions scandal has been eating up careers like I have been gobbling up Thanksgiving leftovers. It’s already cost some pretty high-profile people, like Martin Winterkorn, their jobs, and today, another high-profile VW executive has stepped down because of the cheating scandal. The executive in question is Ulrich Hackenberg, lead engineer and board member.

» Related: VW Claims Emissions Scandal was Overlooked Due to "Culture" of Tolerance

This resignation follows Hackenberg’s suspension due to the admission that Audi’s 3.0-liter TDI engine also used emissions-cheating software. Taking Hackenberg’s sport on the Audi board will be Matthais Müller, and taking his post as lead engineer will be Stephan Knirsch, a leader in engine development for Audi.

Hackenberg’s tenure with Audi has been long and well documented, as he’s been a part of the company since 1985. He was responsible for awesome additions to the Audi and VW lineups, like the TT and XL1, plus he played a big part in the development of Volkswagen’s modular architecture.

Hackenberg was not only a big part of Audi moving from relative obscurity to becoming one of the premier luxury brands, but he was also one of the more press-friendly executives. Us media folk could always depend on him being pretty open (as open as an automotive exec could be) with the Audi’s future and current plans.

It remains unclear what is next in Hackenberg’s career but a scandal like this will likely make him almost unhireable. Maybe his legacy will overshadow this scandal, but chances are that it’ll take a few years before this all blows over and he can find another high0level job in the industry.