Former Volkswagen chief executive Bernd Pischetsrieder is expected to head an alliance between MAN, Scania and Volkswagen’s heavy commercial vehicle division.

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The German financial weekly, Wirtschaftswoche, said that the move would ease hostilities between MAN and Scania, following MAN’s unsuccessful takeover attempt of the Swedish truck maker.


A company manager reportedly told the magazine that the atmosphere between MAN and Scania has become so poisonous that it would be impossible for either of their chief executives to take a leading role in any merger.


As a result, Pischetsrieder is being considered for the position. He currently heads the Scania supervisory board, a role he will hand over to his successor, the new Volkswagen group chief executive Martin Winterkorn, at the Scania annual general meeting in May.


According to the magazine, Pischetsrieder is currently busy developing a possible new structure for the merger. Amongst other things, he has reportedly met with a number of consultants to discuss different options for the merger.

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When Pischetsrieder was still Volkswagen Group CEO, he developed a plan for integrating the MAN and Scania truck businesses. That was leaked and published in December 2006. The plan outlined Pischetsrieder’s proposals to merge the two businesses with Volkswagen’s own heavy truck business, and create a European truck company with a number of different brands.


Volkswagen, the largest shareholder in both MAN and Scania, had supported MAN’s offer for Scania.


Pischetsrieder had apparently been expecting MAN’s bid to succeed, and even suggested that MAN take a stake in Volkswagen to offset some of major shareholder Porsche’s influence on the company. This was a move that led speedily to his removal as CEO by Porsche family member and Volkswagen supervisory board chairman, Ferdinand Piech.