Volkswagen – The big fight is on – Süddeutsche.de

• It is lonely at the mighty Volkswagen Supervisory Board Chairman Ferdinand Piech. After council boss Bernd Osterloh and the Land and the Porsche family takes its distance to the Patriarch
• Piëch had its CEO said: “I am to distance Winterkorn.” A sentence that would have meant the end for a VW boss in the past.
• Winterkorn wants to remain head of VW. This must be understood as a clear message: The big fight is

By Thomas Fromm

He must have thought that it would run as always.. Like when he had Pischetsrieder chased after four years at the VW-tip from the courtyard of 2006. “Too late I realized that we chose the wrong guy,” Ferdinand Piech said at the time. The powerful group works let him have his way, because they were already long that Pischetsrieder was the wrong thing.

Three years later, it took only a few words to sell the former Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking. Whether the confident Wiedeking after the failed takeover attack against Wolfsburg still enjoy his confidence, Piëch was then asked. “At the moment yet,” said the. And then sat on the decisive postscript: The “still” could be deleted. “Wiedeking is not our King”, the VW works council said at the time. So Piëch was on the safe side, as always. A few sharp sentences at the right time, and again a manager was away.

Winterkorn will not go

Last Friday, but everything was different than usual. Piëch, the grand old puppet master, careerists and career killer, the Porsche grandchildren and family patriarch, made a whole new experience:

He let down his guillotine whiz, this time on CEO Martin Winterkorn, the longtime confidant. . But it hit next

“I am to distance Winterkorn,” said the old man, a sentence, in which everybody knows that if he says something, it’s over. Instead, however: not a big, theatrical departure, not even a quiet resignation. Winterkorn do not wanna go, get support from all sides – and the 77-year-old ruler is at once since: alone and in the middle of a power struggle, like him, the Group has never experienced before

Anywhere support for Winterkorn.

The council boss Bernd Osterloh powerful wants to keep Winterkorn and Prime Minister of Lower Stephan Weil (SPD) says: “I am unpleasantly surprised about the statements quoted by Professor Piëch.” This is not unimportant, because the country is on the Piëch and Porsche families the second largest shareholder in VW. On Sunday we went also the co-owner of the VW-Porsche family to distance Piëch. It is lonely at the mighty rulers.

Does Piëch, who so willingly and freezing Manager sacked, made the mistake of his life here? If he has time overrated? He knew what he was going to trigger it? What is now to be from the largest carmaker in Europe, which is on the verge largest carmaker in the world? If the twelve-brand the kingdom stand? Or it is ground in the coming weeks and months in this power struggle in which it no longer comes to cars?

There are questions that this weekend all. Baffled faces in Wolfsburg, as on Friday makes the quote from the Old Spiegel Online from the round table: “Will the plunge us into chaos?” – This is still one of the kinder comments that are doing the rounds in the offices of the car metropolis. From “Rampage” is talk of “lack of character” and “execution”.

Winterkorn, that was not Pischetsrieder nor Wiedeking. He was for decades the most important companion Piëch. Foster son, confidant and one of the few in the group, which Piëch familiar. The man who has almost doubled in the eight years of his term sales to more than 200 billion euros and increased earnings by almost 300 percent to 18 billion euros. And Winterkorn and Piëch, the CEO and his chief inspector, the two men had for years, between which, as they say, no sheet paper fit. Even so it was considered agreed that the 67-year-old would follow the ancients as chairman of the board. Until now.

“He has over 30 years kept him on the back,” says one who knows both good. “And now this.”

Why? The official explanation goes like this: Piech throws his manager failures before; especially in the USA, the Group is weak. But is that really the reason? “A Fliegenschiss on the map” that was compared to the successes VW celebrate elsewhere, says a corporate executive. Is it the end for something else? An old, open account?

It’s a conspiracy theory, but it has it all. It goes back to September 2013. At the time, wrote the Reuters of serious health problems of the old man and speculated that Piëch would leave his post on the Supervisory Board soon – to Winterkorn. Piëch cooked, denied, went to the Mirror and had reported: “guillotining I will until I know for sure who it was.” Was this now the guillotine? Had he Winterkorn suspected

How much is:? It is in this Wolfsburg drama about conceits, power and egos. In recent months, more and more of Winterkorn, the foster son, and less and less about Piëch, the Emperor spoke. The growing power of the salaried manager Winterkorn was Piech, the owner and patriarchs, visibly disturbed.

Winterkorn learns of a thing than it is outside. As on Friday afternoon count the messages and talk of a leadership crisis in Wolfsburg. “He read it and understood,” says one who is close. Knapp and hurtful. The decision is quickly Winterkorn decides not to make the Pischetsrieder. He wants to stay VW boss, at least for now. This must be understood as a clear message. The big fight is

At least the two had not spoken to each other until Sunday, sources in the consolidated circles. One is in Wolfsburg, the other in Austria. No later than May 5, the two will sit in Hanover together on stage. It is the day of the meeting, and he could be the day of showdowns. In Wolfsburg, they are now waiting for the next train of the old. Is he behind the scenes by supporters? He would need a majority of eleven votes in the total 20-member Supervisory Board. Only ten of which are occupied by the employee; two votes, the state of Lower Saxony. It is narrow. Piëch, who is accustomed to win, could make as chairman of the board of his double voting right use, but would need plus an additional votes.

Keep the family clans around Piëch and his cousin Wolfgang Porsche 50.7 percent of VW shares. The Porsches were silent – until Sunday afternoon. Then the cousin had spread a message: “The testimony of Dr. Piëch represents his personal opinion, which is not synchronized in their objective with the family.” This set also comes like a guillotine. Only that this time Ferdinand Piëch true self.