The German unit of Ford Motor said on Sunday its chief executive Bernhard Mattes had no intention of leaving the company, dismissing reports he may join Volkswagen AG as sales director, Reuters reported.
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“There is nothing to it,” Ford-Werke AG spokesman Wolfgang Riecke told Reuters, adding that Mattes still had much to do at Ford-Werke and was fully committed to the job. Mattes joined Ford in 1999, becoming head of the German unit last September.
Reuters said that, citing industry sources, the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper reported in its Sunday edition that Volkswagen wanted to poach Mattes as a replacement for Robert Buechelhofer, who quit in April.
A VW spokesman declined to comment to Reuters but referred to chief executive Bernd Pischetsrieder’s remarks at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on April 24, when he said no decision had been taken about the group’s future sales structure.
Pischetsrieder assumed responsibility for sales and marketing following Buechelhofer’s sudden departure, Reuters noted.
