Scott Keogh, who has steered Audi to 107 straight months of U.S. sales gains, will become CEO of Volkswagen Group's North American operations on Nov. 1.
Keogh, 49, will succeed Hinrich Woebcken, 58, a former BMW executive who took over in April 2016 amid VW's diesel emissions scandal.
When Keogh becomes CEO, he will be the first American to hold the German automaker's top job in North America in 25 years.
Keogh will be succeeded as president of Audi of America on Dec. 1 by Mark Del Rosso, 54, Audi said in a statement Wednesday. Del Rosso transferred to run VW's Bentley unit in North America in 2017 after nine years as COO of Audi, where he was Keogh's top lieutenant. A successor for Del Rosso at Bentley has not been named.
Woebcken, who has sought greater independence from VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, will remain "available to the company in the North American region as senior executive strategy adviser," the automaker said in a statement.
Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen Group, credited Woebcken with restoring confidence in the Volkswagen brand in North America after emissions violations, and said Keogh can help the brand achieve its lofty long-term sales goals in North America. Woebcken and Keogh were Automotive News All-Stars in 2017.
