Jochen Sengpiehl, Volkswagen’s chief marketing officer and head of product strategy in China, has reportedly been deported back to Germany after being detained for about 10 days. According to the Financial Times, he allegedly tested positive for drugs following a holiday abroad.
Volkswagen is currently conducting an internal review of the situation. This incident has occurred amidst Volkswagen’s challenges in the Chinese market, where demand for its core passenger car brand has weakened.
In the third quarter, Volkswagen’s deliveries to China, the world’s largest car market, dropped by 15%, totaling 7,11,500 vehicles.
As per Financial Times, Germany’s Federal Foreign Office confirmed that its embassy in Beijing provided consular assistance to Jochen Sengpiehl and maintained regular contact with him and his family, as well as local authorities.
Who is Jochen Sengpiehl?
Jochen Sengpiehl has had a diverse career in the automotive and marketing sectors. He started at Nissan in the 1990s and moved on to roles at BBDO and Daimler. He served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Volkswagen AG, had a brief stint at WPP, and founded his own company focused on automotive brand management.
Sengpiehl was also the SVP/CMO at Hyundai Motor Europe before returning to Volkswagen in 2017 as global chief marketing officer, where he is known for the slogan ‘Das Auto’. His tenure included a controversial moment in 2020 involving a racist ad for the Golf 8, which led to an apology and an internal investigation.
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In 2022, he became Volkswagen’s China CMO, a vital market for the company, especially as BYD surpassed Volkswagen as the best-selling car brand in China in 2023.