Volkswagen has hired the former program manager for the Tesla Model S and Model X as it looks to expand its battery electric vehicle offerings.
Matthew Renna will now serve as Vice President for Volkswagen North America’s G4 product line. According to VW’s employee magazine, the G4 product line is for electric cars and mobility related projects. Renna will be focused on the automaker’s MEB electric architecture, which is set to underpin a myriad of EVs from VW Group in the coming years. According to the company,
Renna’s responsibilities “will include product content, costs, financial results, timing, quality, launch, and risk management throughout the entire MEB product line life cycles.”
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“Matt brings an outstanding combination of financial acumen, engineering depth and product program management—all within the electric vehicle space,” said VW North America CEO Hinrich Woebcken. “His experience and leadership will be a tremendous asset as we strengthen our electric vehicle position in North America and we are excited to welcome him to Volkswagen.”
In addition to working on Model S and X, Renna also helped lead Tesla’s autopilot and autonomous vehicle programs and was “instrumental in identifying, solving, and achieving critical financial targets,” at the electric vehicle maker. This won’t be Renna’s first stint with the VW Group – he also held technical and engineering roles at Porsche Motorsport North America, and worked in Honda’s racing division as well, Honda Performance Development.
The first series production MEB vehicle from VW, which will fall under the I.D. subbrand, is set to launch in 2020.
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