Bram Schot to become Audi's permanent chief executive

Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Bram Schot will become Audi AG's chief executive on Jan. 1 after serving in an interim role when the automaker's CEO was arrested in June, the German company announced Wednesday.

Rupert Stadler was arrested on June 18 in Munich, Germany, in connection with a large-scale emissions cheating scandal that embroiled parent company Volkswagen AG last year. Stadler, who has denied the allegations, was fired from the company in October.

Schot, 57, will become chairman of the board of management of Audi, which also includes Ducati, Lamborghini and Italdesign Giugiaro brands, the company said in a news release.

"With the appointment of a new chairman of the board of management, we have laid important groundwork for Audi's future orientation," Herbert Diess, Audi supervisory board chairman and VW Group CEO, said in a statement. "As interim CEO, Bram Schot has already done a convincing job in recent months. He is pushing forward with the cultural change in his team and is effectively tackling the current challenges.

"With the benefit of a strong mandate, he will further accelerate the transformation of the company and lead the Four Rings to new successes."

In 2015, Volkswagen and Audi admitted they used illegal software to cheat on emissions tests.

In October, Audi agreed to pay a $930 million fine to German regulators.

Since September 2017, Schot has been responsible for sales and marketing at Audi on the board of management, a role he will temporarily retain, the company said.

Schot, who was born in the Netherlands, was president and CEO at Mercedes-Benz Italia until 2011 when he moved to the Volkswagen Group.