Porsche boss Wiedeking kicked out, VW-Porsche merger will happen

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New Porsche chief named. Michael Macht, the production manager.

New chief holds Piëch’s respect By Daniel Schäfer Published: July 23 2009 19:27 | Last updated: July 23 2009 19:27 Michael Macht’s surname may be the German word for “power”, but in reality, the new chief executive of Porsche will not have much clout. Once the Porsche sports car business is integrated into Volkswagen, the 48-year-old engineer will be one of Ferdinand Piëch’s lieutenants and the head of one of the smaller – although the most profitable – marques that VW owns. But Mr Macht has earned much respect from Mr Piëch, VW’s chairman and a large Porsche shareholder, who likes nothing more than technically versed managers. Mr Macht has been one of the architects of Porsche’s route to operative success. He was Wendelin Wiedeking’s helping hand in the 1990s, when the former chief executive at Porsche radically revamped Porsche’s production methods, using Japanese carmakers as role models. Mr Macht has been heading Porsche’s production since 1998, and he was responsible for the production starts of the sports car makers’ third and fourth models, the Cayenne SUV and the Panamera sedan, which will hit the showrooms later this year. Ever since doubts were raised about the future role of Mr Wiedeking, Mr Macht was the sole contender for the role. He is a respected by both Porsche’s owners and VW’s management. And he is known for being modest and not as high-handed as his predecessor – crucial traits for a long career in Mr Piëch’s empire. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f836bf6a-7...44feabdc0.html