Former Cadillac boss Johan de Nysschen joins Volkswagen
After a hiatus from the industry, de Nysschen will join VW of America as its new chief operating officer.
From Cadillac to Volkswagen: Johan de Nysschen has a new gig.
Johan de Nysschen, the outspoken executive most recently in charge of the Cadillac division at General Motors, has landed a new gig. On Thursday, Volkswagen of America announced that de Nysschen will join the automaker as its new chief operating officer -- a newly created role in the company.
As COO, de Nysschen will report directly to Volkswagen America CEO Scott Keogh. "Johan will help make us faster, better and smarter," Keogh said in a statement. "He'll speed our decision-making and dive deep into our day-to-day business so we can continue to make this brand matter again."
While the title of COO can vary greatly across industries, the executive is often responsible for working closely with the CEO and crafting operational strategies and policies. De Nysschen said he's "looking forward" to rejoining VW Group as the automaker undergoes massive product changes. VW has begun the rollout of its electric cars with the ID 3 in Europe. Next year, the ID 4 electric SUV will launch as the first electric car from the brand in North America. De Nysschen will be specifically responsible for input on North American products like the Tiguan, Atlas and forthcoming Atlas Cross Sport.
If you caught the "rejoining" blurb, it's because this won't be de Nysschen's first time at VW Group. Although many will recently remember him for his short stint at Cadillac, de Nysschen was a chief architect at Audi for 20 years, often credited with helping propel the division into the luxury ranks. He also oversaw Infiniti for a short period of time before GM hired him away. Infamously, GM and de Nysschen went separate ways in 2018 after rumors that the Cadillac turnaround plan was taking too long for the automaker to stomach.
De Nysschen's new role begins Oct. 1.
