Wolfgang Dürheimer is new Bentley boss

Crewe firm gets new chief exec as Porsche and Bentley are set to get closer.

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By Tom Phillips

29th November 2010

Bentley has announced that Wolfgang Dürheimer will be its new Chairman and Chief Executive from February 1, 2011. Durheimer replaces Franz-Josef Paefgen who is retiring, but will remain involved in the Volkswagen Group and Bentley in an advisory capacity.

The news is particularly significant, as Dürheimer will move to Bentley from his current position as chief of R&D at Porsche, which he has headed up since 2001.

Porsche and Bentley are currently the only members of the VW Group which still develop their own bespoke platforms, but this is set to change as VW applies pressure to reduce costs by sharing components across the group.

Porsche boss Mathias Müller has confirmed that the development of the next generation of Bentley models will include input from Porsche engineers based at the firm’s research centre in Weissach, Germany.

“This philosophy has been proven to work well if engineers are disciplined enough to use that opportunity,” he said.

The centre, which was run by Dürheimer, has just received €150million in investment to upgrade and expand its facilities, with a view to working with other VW Group companies.

Speaking about his new role, Dürheimer said: “I am flattered by the trust put in me by the Volkswagen Group. To take charge of a company such as Bentley is a significant responsibility… I know I have a lot to learn about the brand and the people but hope my experience with Porsche will serve me well in a new role and a new country.”