Volkswagen Australia today announces senior management changes.
Volkswagen Australia Director of Commercial Vehicles, Carlos Santos, leaves in January to embark upon a business venture that will be announced in the New Year.
Under Mr Santos's tenure Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has achieved record growth.
Australia has become the world's biggest export market for the Amarok ute. It is outsold in this country only by the Golf and the Tiguan. Some 80 per cent of Amarok sales are of the costlier V6 variants.
Mr Santos is replaced by Ryan Davies, who for the past two years has been Volkswagen Australia's General Manager Sales, Passenger Vehicles.
"Carlos is a tough act to follow, but I have every confidence that we will continue his success," Mr Davies said. "The CV brand is entering an exciting era and will in due course be at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution."
Mr Davies' former role is assumed by Ben Wilks, who has been Volkswagen Australia's General Manager of Product and Marketing for Passenger Vehicles since March 2014.
"The continued appeal of Volkswagen's PV offering can be gauged by the fact that we have maintained market share despite lacking coverage in SUVs," Mr Wilks said. "This year we've successfully brought the Tiguan Allspace and the Polo to market, so 2019's new Touareg will be a boon for our over achieving dealers."
Mr Davies and Mr Wilks were with Volkswagen Group Australia at its foundation in 2001. Mr Davies subsequently spent eight years at Ateco returning in 2013. Mr Wilks has been ever present, working his way through the company ranks.
Mr Wilk's role is assumed by Jason Bradshaw, who continues as Volkswagen Group Australia's Director of Customer Experience.
Mr Bradshaw has overhauled customer experience throughout VGA over the past three years. Among his innovations has been the introduction on Volkswagen's public website of dealer ratings derived from customer surveys – something no other auto brand in Australia has emulated.
Last week he published his first book, It's All About CEX.
"Volkswagen remains by some distance the best-selling European brand in this country, a position that will not be surrendered," Mr Bradshaw said. "A sign of customer response is Volkswagen regaining number one position in Roy Morgan's brand loyalty survey."
Volkswagen Group Australia Managing Director Michael Bartsch, who recently renewed his contract, paid tribute to Mr Santos.
"Carlos has led the CV brand to its greatest success and I have no doubt that he will emulate this in his new venture," Mr Bartsch said.
"That Carlos can be replaced from within the business reflects the strength of Volkswagen's management. We are well placed to move into 2019 and beyond."