Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche’s Research and Development boss and member of the Executive Board, has decided to leave the Stuttgart brand.
The German company has announced the news today in a press release, along with the name of Hatz’s successor.
Mr. Hatz spent five years at the helm of the research and development department of the Porsche brand, and has chosen to leave the sports car manufacturer at his own request.
Dr. Michael Steiner, aged 51, has been appointed by Porsche’s Supervisory Board as Hatz's replacement. Steiner does not have a funny name, but he will have to fill the shoes of Mr. Hatz as the leader of the R&D department of the German company.
His previous task was to lead the Porsche Development Center in Weissach, a position he held for 14 years. Another of his roles was that of Vice President of Complete Vehicle Engineering/Quality Management.
The first generation of the Porsche Panamera is one of the significant projects led by him. Before joining Porsche, Dr. Steiner worked for Daimler AG in Stuttgart.
Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche, expressed his sincere thanks to Wolfgang Hatz for his service in the company. Mr. Hatz is responsible for developing projects like the 918 Spyder, as well as Porsche’s return to top-class motorsport in the form of the Wolrd Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Additionally, he was involved in the development of the Mission E concept car, Porsche’s first all-electric sports car concept. The Mission-E has already been confirmed to receive a production version by the end of this decade, making it the first electric vehicle built by Porsche.
We must note that Mr. Hatz was on temporary leave from Porsche since late September 2015. Along with other executives, he left his position until the Dieselgate investigation would conclude. Porsche’s press release mentions that Hatz had no involvement in the situation, as the inquiries showed no evidence of any co-responsibility by him.
However, the official decided it was best to leave the company because of the investigation and his resulting prolonged leave of absence. Hatz has stated he looks back fondly at his time at Porsche AG and is “very happy that Michael Steiner is taking over as successor.”
Mr. Hatz spent five years at the helm of the research and development department of the Porsche brand, and has chosen to leave the sports car manufacturer at his own request.
Dr. Michael Steiner, aged 51, has been appointed by Porsche’s Supervisory Board as Hatz's replacement. Steiner does not have a funny name, but he will have to fill the shoes of Mr. Hatz as the leader of the R&D department of the German company.
His previous task was to lead the Porsche Development Center in Weissach, a position he held for 14 years. Another of his roles was that of Vice President of Complete Vehicle Engineering/Quality Management.
The first generation of the Porsche Panamera is one of the significant projects led by him. Before joining Porsche, Dr. Steiner worked for Daimler AG in Stuttgart.
Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche, expressed his sincere thanks to Wolfgang Hatz for his service in the company. Mr. Hatz is responsible for developing projects like the 918 Spyder, as well as Porsche’s return to top-class motorsport in the form of the Wolrd Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Additionally, he was involved in the development of the Mission E concept car, Porsche’s first all-electric sports car concept. The Mission-E has already been confirmed to receive a production version by the end of this decade, making it the first electric vehicle built by Porsche.
We must note that Mr. Hatz was on temporary leave from Porsche since late September 2015. Along with other executives, he left his position until the Dieselgate investigation would conclude. Porsche’s press release mentions that Hatz had no involvement in the situation, as the inquiries showed no evidence of any co-responsibility by him.
However, the official decided it was best to leave the company because of the investigation and his resulting prolonged leave of absence. Hatz has stated he looks back fondly at his time at Porsche AG and is “very happy that Michael Steiner is taking over as successor.”