Photo: Bugatti
Born in 1964, Stephan Winkelmann is one of the most respected executives in the automotive industry. The 53-year-old German even spent two years in the army as a paratrooper, but Winkelmann left the military to start his professional career. And now, he’s the chief executive of Bugatti Automobiles.
The new role shouldn’t come as a surprise considering Wolfgang Durheimer handled both Bugatti and Bentley since 2014. Speaking of Bentley, the British automaker welcomes Adrian Hallmark as its chief executive officer. Durheimer, meanwhile, will remain in the Volkswagen Group as an advisor in motorsport-related projects, including the 2018 Pikes Peak electric prototype.
Winkelmann cut his teeth in the automotive industry for Mercedes-Benz and Fiat, then jumped ship to Lamborghini in 2005. In early 2016, the Volkswagen Group appointed him the head of Audi Sport GmbH, which was previously known as quattro GmbH. The change in name comes as a consequence of the newfound focus on rear-wheel-drive vehicles such as the 2018 Audi R8 RWS.
Matthias Muller, who’s role is chairman of the board of management of the Volkswagen Group, commented: ”I accept Wolfgang Durheimer’s wish to retire. At Bugatti he completed the era of the Veyron and, with the development of the Chiron, he has opened an exciting new chapter for the brand.” And from here on in, it’s obvious that Winkelmann has a lot to prove.
As you already know, the record-breaking Chiron is limited by its tire technology. And what’s more, Durheimer already opened the subject on the successor of the Chiron, which will almost certainly make the switch to some sort of hybridization in order to outperform any other hypercar on the planet.
The Venom F5 is already snapping at the heels of the Chiron, with Hennessey expected to confirm the 300-mph top speed at the 2017 SEMA Show. And in stark comparison to Bugatti’s technological masterpiece, the Venom F5 is manufactured by Hennessey on a significantly tighter budget. So yeah, it won’t be easy for Winkelmann to prove himself, but chances are he will bearing in mind the status of Bugatti within the Volkswagen Group and automotive industry.
Adrian Hallmark, who's aged 55, joins Bentley from the role of global strategy director at Jaguar Land Rover. Previously, he held positions at Porsche, Volkswagen, and Saab.
Winkelmann cut his teeth in the automotive industry for Mercedes-Benz and Fiat, then jumped ship to Lamborghini in 2005. In early 2016, the Volkswagen Group appointed him the head of Audi Sport GmbH, which was previously known as quattro GmbH. The change in name comes as a consequence of the newfound focus on rear-wheel-drive vehicles such as the 2018 Audi R8 RWS.
Matthias Muller, who’s role is chairman of the board of management of the Volkswagen Group, commented: ”I accept Wolfgang Durheimer’s wish to retire. At Bugatti he completed the era of the Veyron and, with the development of the Chiron, he has opened an exciting new chapter for the brand.” And from here on in, it’s obvious that Winkelmann has a lot to prove.
As you already know, the record-breaking Chiron is limited by its tire technology. And what’s more, Durheimer already opened the subject on the successor of the Chiron, which will almost certainly make the switch to some sort of hybridization in order to outperform any other hypercar on the planet.
The Venom F5 is already snapping at the heels of the Chiron, with Hennessey expected to confirm the 300-mph top speed at the 2017 SEMA Show. And in stark comparison to Bugatti’s technological masterpiece, the Venom F5 is manufactured by Hennessey on a significantly tighter budget. So yeah, it won’t be easy for Winkelmann to prove himself, but chances are he will bearing in mind the status of Bugatti within the Volkswagen Group and automotive industry.
Adrian Hallmark, who's aged 55, joins Bentley from the role of global strategy director at Jaguar Land Rover. Previously, he held positions at Porsche, Volkswagen, and Saab.
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