Editing Ferdinand Piëch

{{short description|Austrian industrialist (1937–2019), head of Volkswagen}}
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{{Infobox person
| name               = Ferdinand Piëch
| image              = Ferdinand Piech by Stuart Mentiply.jpg
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = Ferdinand Karl Piëch
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1937|4|17|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Vienna]], [[Federal State of Austria|Austria]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2019|8|25|1937|4|17|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Rosenheim]], Germany
| other_names        = 
| occupation         = [[Automobile]] engineer, [[business executive]]
| known_for          = Chairman of [[Volkswagen Group]] until 25 April 2015<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-ceo-chairman-idUSKBN0NG0N720150425|title=Ferdinand Piech resigns, ending an era at Volkswagen|agency=Reuters|date=25 April 2015 |access-date=1 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115013432/https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/25/us-volkswagen-ceo-chairman-idUSKBN0NG0N720150425|archive-date=15 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="finanzen.net">{{cite web|url=https://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/aktien/DGAP-Ad-hoc-Volkswagen-AG-Vz-VW-AG-4306791|title=DGAP-Ad hoc: Volkswagen AG Vz. (VW AG)|work=finanzen.net|access-date=25 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427010403/https://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/aktien/DGAP-Ad-hoc-Volkswagen-AG-Vz-VW-AG-4306791|archive-date=27 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
| father             = [[Anton Piëch]]
| mother             = [[Louise Piëch]]
| relatives          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Ferdinand Porsche]] (grandfather)
* [[Ferry Porsche]] (uncle)
* [[Ferdinand Alexander Porsche]] (cousin)
* [[Wolfgang Porsche]] (cousin)}}
| spouse             = {{Plainlist|
* Corina von Planta (before 1984)
* Ursula Plasser (1984–2019; his death)}}
| children           = [[Porsche–Piëch family#Piëch descendants of Louise Porsche|13]]
}}
'''Ferdinand Karl Piëch''' ({{IPA|de|ˈfɛʁdinant ˈpiːɛç|-|De-Ferdinand Piëch.ogg}}; 17 April 1937 – 25 August 2019)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.focus.de/finanzen/boerse/ehemaliger-vw-chef-bericht-ferdinand-piech-ist-tot_id_11072870.html|title=Ehemaliger VW-Chef Ferdinand Piëch ist tot|website=FOCUS Online|language=de|access-date=2019-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826193500/https://m.focus.de/finanzen/boerse/ehemaliger-vw-chef-bericht-ferdinand-piech-ist-tot_id_11072870.html|archive-date=26 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> was an Austrian [[business magnate]], engineer, and executive who held the positions of chairman of the [[executive board]] (''Vorstandsvorsitzender'') of the [[Volkswagen Group]] from 1993 to 2002, and chairman of the [[supervisory board]] (''Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender'') from 2002 to 2015.<ref name="finanzen.net"/>

A grandson of [[Ferdinand Porsche]], Piëch began his career at [[Porsche]] before moving to [[Audi]], where he was instrumental in transforming the brand into a formidable competitor to [[Mercedes-Benz]] and [[BMW]], thanks to groundbreaking models like the [[Audi Quattro]] and the [[Audi 100]]. Trained as an engineer, Piëch had a profound impact on the design and engineering of several iconic vehicles, including the [[Porsche 911]], [[Porsche 917]], [[Audi Quattro]], and most notably the [[Bugatti Veyron]], which, as of 2012, held the title of the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive road-legal car ever produced. Due to his significant contributions to the [[automotive industry]], Piëch was named "Car Executive of the Century" in 1999<ref>{{cite news|title=This Just In: Model T Gets Award|work=The New York Times|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E1DF1439F937A15751C1A96F958260|date=24 December 1999|access-date=8 May 2008|first=James G.|last=Cobb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306071900/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E1DF1439F937A15751C1A96F958260|archive-date=6 March 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> and was inducted into the [[Automotive Hall of Fame]] in 2014.

==Biography==

Piëch was born in Vienna, Austria, to [[Louise Piëch|Louise]] (''née'' Porsche; daughter of Ferdinand Porsche) and [[Anton Piëch]], a lawyer. He studied at the [[Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz]] and graduated in 1962 from [[ETH Zurich]] in Switzerland with a degree in mechanical engineering, having written a master's thesis on the development of a [[Formula One]] (F1) engine. At the same time, Porsche was involved in F1, developing an eight-cylinder engine for the [[Porsche 804]].

From 1963 to 1971, Piëch worked at [[Porsche]] in [[Stuttgart]], where he was involved in the development of the [[Porsche 906]] and subsequent models, including the successful [[Porsche 917]]. In 1972, he joined [[Audi]] in [[Ingolstadt]]. By 1975, he had become manager of technological engineering, where he was responsible for the design concepts behind many Audi models from the 1970s and 1980s, including the [[Audi 80]], [[Audi 100]], and [[Audi V8]]. He celebrated his 40th birthday on 17 April 1977 with a grand ball, attended by guests such as [[Giorgetto Giugiaro]]. At the event, the staff of the Porsche Hotel presented him with an Audi 80 constructed entirely out of [[marzipan]] and measuring just {{convert|40|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length.<ref name=AutoMotoruSport197709>{{cite journal| title = Personalien: Ferdinand Piech| journal = [[Auto, Motor und Sport]]| volume = Heft 9 1977| pages = Seite 7 |date = 27 April 1977}}</ref> In the same year, he initiated the development of a car for the [[World Rally Championship]], which led to the creation of the [[Audi Quattro]] with its [[four-wheel drive]] system. The Quattro model used a [[turbocharged]] inline-five-cylinder engine.

Between his departure from Porsche and his move to Audi, Piëch ran a small engineering company, during which time he developed a five-cylinder in-line [[diesel engine]] for [[Mercedes-Benz]]. Upon joining Audi, he revisited this concept, as market demand for engines with more than four cylinders was rising. At the time, Audi (and the Audi-derived VW Passat/Santana model range) used longitudinally mounted inline engines and front-wheel drive. More conventional layouts with six cylinders, such as a [[V6 engine]] or a [[Straight-six engine|straight-six]], were dismissed due to production costs or packaging limitations, as the latter would not fit with front-wheel drive configurations.

In 1993, Piëch moved to the parent company of [[Volkswagen Group|Volkswagen AG]], becoming the [[Chairman]] of the Board of Management, succeeding [[Carl Hahn]]. Volkswagen was on the brink of bankruptcy at that time, but Piëch played a central role in orchestrating a dramatic turnaround.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kapoor |first1=Rahul |title=Former VW head, Ferdinand Piech passes away: Here's how he turned the company from rags to riches |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/auto/car-news/former-vw-head-ferdinand-piech-passes-away-heres-how-he-turned-the-company-from-rags-to-riches/1687601/ |access-date=30 August 2019 |work=The Financial Express |date=27 August 2019}}</ref> He oversaw Volkswagen's acquisition of [[Lamborghini]] and [[Bentley]] and the establishment of [[Bugatti Automobiles]], integrating them alongside [[Volkswagen]], [[Škoda Auto|Škoda]], [[SEAT]], and [[Audi]] into a hierarchical structure akin to that used by [[Alfred Sloan]] at [[General Motors]]. In 2000, Piëch was appointed chairman of [[Scania (company)|Scania AB]].<ref>[https://www.scania.com/news/press_releases/2000/q2/press_9741.asp Ferdinand Piëch new chairman of the Scania Board] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927070038/https://www.scania.com/news/press_releases/2000/q2/press_9741.asp |date=27 September 2007 }} 24 May 2000, Scania.com.</ref> He retired from the board of management in 2002 but continued to serve as chairman of the supervisory board.

Under Piëch's leadership, Volkswagen consolidated an array of mid-sized and premium vehicle brands such as [[Audi]], [[Bentley]], [[Bugatti]], [[Ducati]], [[Lamborghini]], [[Porsche]], [[Škoda Auto|Skoda]], [[SEAT]], [[Scania AB|Scania]], and [[MAN Truck & Bus|MAN]] under the VW Group umbrella. According to Piëch, this strategy aimed to enhance these brands' status and reputation by leveraging Volkswagen's engineering, design expertise, and commitment to quality.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Piëch |first=Ferdinand |title=Volkswagen mourns death of Ferdinand Piëch |url=https://www.volkswagen-group.com/en/press-releases/volkswagen-mourns-death-of-ferdinand-piech-16969/download?disposition=attachment}}</ref>

During his tenure, Piëch was known for aggressively pushing the Volkswagen and Audi brands upmarket with considerable success. He also made significant moves into acquiring other [[marque]]s, securing [[Lamborghini]] for Audi and establishing [[Bugatti Automobiles SAS]]. His acquisition of [[Rolls-Royce Motors|Rolls-Royce]] and [[Bentley]] proved more contentious. While Volkswagen successfully obtained the [[Crewe]] factory, car designs, nameplates, and trademarks such as the [[Spirit of Ecstasy]] and the Rolls-Royce grille, it was denied the use of the Rolls-Royce name, which [[BMW]] had licensed from [[Rolls-Royce Holdings]]. After negotiations, VW sold the Spirit of Ecstasy and the Rolls-Royce grille trademarks to BMW, allowing BMW to launch [[Rolls-Royce Motor Cars]]. Although Piëch later claimed that his primary interest was in Bentley, as it sold better than Rolls-Royce by a ratio of two to one, many saw the loss of the Rolls-Royce brand as a significant failure.

However, Piëch's efforts to revive Volkswagen's fortunes in North America were a success. Unlike Hahn's earlier failed attempts, Piëch's decision to manufacture the [[Volkswagen New Beetle]], which debuted in 1998, revitalized Volkswagen's presence in the U.S. market after years of stagnation.

In recognition of his continued influence in the automotive industry, ''[[Automobile Magazine]]'' awarded Piëch their Man of the Year accolade in 2011.<ref name = "Auto">[https://www.automobilemag.com/features/awards/1101_2011_man_of_the_year_ferdinand_piech/index.html Ferdinand Piech – 2011 Man of the Year – Automobile Magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119031437/https://www.automobilemag.com/features/awards/1101_2011_man_of_the_year_ferdinand_piech/index.html |date=19 November 2010 }} Retrieved 16 November 2010.</ref>

==Engineering==

At Porsche, Piëch initiated significant policy changes within the company. For instance, the driver's position in [[auto racing|race cars]] was shifted from the left to the right, as this provided an advantage on predominantly clockwise race tracks. After focusing mainly on producing small {{cvt|2000|cc|abbr=on}} race cars that were intended to closely resemble road cars, Porsche made a bold and risky move by unexpectedly constructing twenty-five {{cvt|5000|cc|abbr=on}} [[Porsche 917]]s, catching the rule makers at the [[FIA]] off guard. Even [[Ferrari]] had been compelled to sell his company to [[Fiat]] before making a comparable decision. Always inclined to think on a grand scale, Piëch began the development of a [[16-cylinder engine]] for the [[Can-Am]] series. It is perhaps no coincidence that his grandfather had designed a renowned supercharged 16-cylinder engine for the [[Auto Union]] racing cars in the 1930s. However, Piëch was not granted the opportunity to complete this project, as a turbocharged version of the existing 12-cylinder engine proved to be simpler, more powerful, and highly successful. Three decades later, as CEO of Volkswagen Group, Piëch championed the development of the extraordinarily ambitious [[Bugatti Veyron]], featuring a [[turbocharged]] [[W16 engine|W16]]-cylinder engine with {{convert|1001|hp|kW}} and a top speed of {{convert|407|km/h|mi/h|abbr=on}}. Although some of these specifications do not exceed those of the Porsche 917/30, they are still superior to most current racing cars. Piëch was also the driving force behind the [[Volkswagen Phaeton]] luxury saloon, which was designed to compete with other German luxury cars, although the model's sales have been disappointing.

==Porsche ownership==
Piëch owned a significant share of Porsche, exactly 10%. In order to prevent discussions among the many family members, a policy was established in early 1972 that no [[Porsche family]] member is allowed to be involved in the management of the company.  Even company founder [[Ferry Porsche]], Piëch's uncle, only held a seat on the supervisory board of Porsche after the company's legal form was changed from a limited partnership to a private legal company.  This made Piëch move to Audi after the foundation of his engineering bureau.

==Personal life==
Piëch reportedly had [[Porsche–Piëch family#Piëch descendants of Louise Porsche|12 children]] from four different women,<ref name = "Auto" /> though an obituary published by ''[[The Detroit News]]'' mentioned him having [[Porsche–Piëch family#Piëch descendants of Louise Porsche|13 children]].<ref name = "Detobit">{{Cite web |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/obituaries/2019/08/27/ferdinand-piech-longtime-volkswagen-patriarch-dies/40035159/ |title=Ferdinand Piech, Longtime Volksawgen Patriarch Dies |access-date=28 August 2019 |archive-date=27 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827174951/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/obituaries/2019/08/27/ferdinand-piech-longtime-volkswagen-patriarch-dies/40035159/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was married to his second wife Ursula Piëch from 1984 to his death, he lived with her in retirement in [[Salzburg, Austria]].<ref name = "Detobit" /> One of his sons, Toni Piëch, is the founder of car company [[Piëch Automotive]]. Piëch was [[Dyslexia|dyslexic]],<ref name = "Auto" /> and he had a vast car collection that included two [[Bugatti Veyron]]s regularly driven by him and his wife.

Piëch collapsed suddenly on 25 August 2019 while having dinner with his wife in Aschau near [[Rosenheim]], [[Oberbayern]]. He was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. A specific cause of death was not released.<ref>[https://www.dw.com/en/ferdinand-piech-long-time-vw-patriarch-dies-at-82/a-50174854 Ferdinand Piech, Long Time VW Patriarch Dies at 82]</ref>

==Personality and management style==
An engineer by trade, Ferdinand Piëch was both known for his intricate involvement in product development from a technical standpoint, as well as his domineering personality. Piëch has been behind the development of multiple significant and influential automobiles, including the [[Porsche 911]], Third generation (C3) [[Audi 100]], [[Audi Quattro]] and [[Bugatti Veyron]]. Automotive blog ''Jalopnik'' said of Piëch, "He is the mad genius behind much of Porsche and Audi's racing successes as well as VW's all-out engineering and luxury push from the early 2000s. That's what gave us cars like the Bugatti Veyron and the 12-cylinder VW Phaeton."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jalopnik.com/this-latest-revelation-about-dieselgate-is-kind-of-insa-1792145655|title=This Latest Revelation About Dieselgate Is Kind of Insane|first=Raphael|last=Orlove|website=Jalopnik|date=8 February 2017 |access-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716155806/https://jalopnik.com/this-latest-revelation-about-dieselgate-is-kind-of-insa-1792145655|archive-date=16 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Piëch is both noted for turning the [[Audi]] brand from an also-ran economy car builder to one of the most respected luxury brands in the world, as well as rescuing Volkswagen as a whole from near-bankruptcy and overseeing its transformation into the massive conglomerate it is today.<ref name ="J">{{Cite web|url=https://jalopnik.com/the-mad-genius-of-vws-former-chairman-and-his-legacy-of-1700463478|title=The Mad Genius of VW's Former Chairman And His Legacy of Audacious Cars|first=Patrick|last=George|website=Jalopnik|date=28 April 2015 |access-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802232632/https://jalopnik.com/the-mad-genius-of-vws-former-chairman-and-his-legacy-of-1700463478|archive-date=2 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Fellow automotive executive [[Bob Lutz (businessman)|Bob Lutz]] described Piëch as "one of the most successful leaders in the automotive business"<ref name ="Lutz1" /> and "the greatest living product guy" in the automobile industry.<ref name ="Lutz3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxM4Tw8RcFI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/YxM4Tw8RcFI| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Bob Lutz on Ferdinand Piech – "An Autocrat's Autocrat"|date=27 April 2015 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ''[[Automotive News]]'' described Piëch as "a world-class eccentric but a figure of transcendent importance in the history of cars and car companies" who has had "The strangest and possibly most significant automotive industry career this side of [[Henry Ford]]".<ref name ="Autonews">{{Cite web|url=https://www.autonews.com/article/20170327/OEM02/303279959/a-bitter-end-for-ferdinand-piech|title=A bitter end for Ferdinand Piech|date=27 March 2017|website=Automotive News}}</ref> In their obituary, ''[[The Guardian]]'' said of Piëch, "His stewardship of VW has been indisputably successful. Piech will go down in history as an automotive legend, in the same class as [[Gottlieb Daimler]], Henry Ford and [[Kiichiro Toyoda]]."<ref name = "Guardianobit">[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/27/ferdinand-piech-porsche-patriarch-and-vw-saviour-dies-at-82 Ferdinand Piech, Porche Partiarch and VW Saviour Dies at 82]</ref>

Piëch has been described as being socially awkward and having an abrasive personality; some automotive journalists who have encountered Piëch described him as being uncomfortable to be around.<ref name = "CD" /><ref name = "Auto" /> ''[[Automotive News]]'' once noted, "Many of his CEO peers said they could not hold a normal conversation with him. Discussions could be punctuated with long stretches of unexplained silence."<ref name ="Autonews1">[https://www.autonews.com/article/20170327/OEM02/303279959/a-bitter-end-for-ferdinand-piech A Bitter End For Ferdinand Piech]</ref> Piëch himself has acknowledged that he occasionally struggles to relate to other people and understand their feelings.<ref name = "DirtyMoney" /> As Piëch rose to the top of Volkswagen in the late 1980s and early 1990s, then-CEO [[Carl Hahn]] took notice of Piëch's poor social skills and tried to position him as a [[technocrat]] kept behind closed doors.<ref name = "Collision">{{cite book |last=Keller |first=Maryann |date=1 September 1993 |title=Collision: GM, Toyota, Volkswagen and the Race to Own the 21st Century |publisher=Currency Doubleday |isbn=978-0385467773 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/collisiongmtoyot00kell }}</ref> Hahn was particularly bothered by how Piëch behaved during a visit to the [[Yasukuni Shrine]]; while a [[Shinto]] priest was showing the shrine's collection of vintage [[sword]]s, Piëch examined one and told the priest that it was a fake.<ref name = "Collision" />{{efn|name = sword}} Subsequently, Hahn presented the [[Audi Avus quattro]] [[concept car]] himself at the 1991 [[Tokyo Motor Show]] and didn't allow Piëch to take part, which infuriated Piëch due to his extensive personal involvement in the Avus quattro's creation.<ref name = "Collision" />

Piëch was widely interested in pushing technological boundaries in automotive development, especially as the head of Audi. ''Automotive News'' noted of this, "The company's slogan "Vorsprung durch Technik" was the personification of Piech – the belief that technology was the answer to all problems in the auto business. Audi was the test bed to prove his theory and the springboard for his ambition."<ref name="Autonews" /> Piëch often spearheaded the development of audacious vehicles or oversaw business decision and strategies that baffled analysts, but still proved beneficial for the company as a whole.<ref name ="J" /> In recounting some of the extraordinary vehicles Volkswagen put in production under Piëch's watch, ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' noted that he alone pushed the [[Bugatti Veyron]] supercar into production, despite objection from other executives as well as the fact that Volkswagen lost what is believed to be millions on every Veyron sold:<ref name ="Wired">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/04/ferdinand-piech-vw/|title=The Crazy Schemes of the World's Most Surprising Car Exec|first=Sam|last=Smith|magazine=Wired |date=23 April 2015|via=wired.com|access-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223015458/https://www.wired.com/2015/04/ferdinand-piech-vw/|archive-date=23 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> "Consider that for a moment. Long past the average retirement age, this gent greenlit one of the largest automotive losses in history and managed to keep his job. Moreover, he was hailed as a hero."<ref name ="Wired" />

An aggressive and demanding manager, Piëch was known for setting both lofty and extremely specific goals and standards for projects. An example of this is with the development of the [[Volkswagen Phaeton]] [[luxury car]], in which Piëch laid out ten parameters the car had to meet, amongst them being that the Phaeton should be capable of being driven all day at {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}} with an exterior temperature of {{convert|50|°C|0|lk=on}} whilst maintaining the interior temperature at {{convert|22|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=GoAutoMedia |url=https://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/8F252B3F3D6B8266CA25770E00001AC5 |title=Volkswagen 2009 Phaeton - Beijing show: VW facelifts Phaeton – again |work=GoAuto |date=2010-04-23 |access-date=2010-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401131420/https://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/8F252B3F3D6B8266CA25770E00001AC5 |archive-date=1 April 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Piëch requested this even though the Phaeton's top speed was electronically limited to {{convert|250|km/h|1|abbr=on}}.<ref>''Top Gear'' Series 2 Episode 10, 20 July 2003</ref> Another requirement was that the car should possess torsional rigidity of 37,000 [[newton metre|N·m]]/[[degree (angle)|degree]]. Piëch would often become personally involved in vehicle development, such as how he oversaw the development of the [[Audi 100#Audi 100, 200 and 5000 (C3, 1982–1991)|Audi 100]]'s aerodynamics himself, keeping it secret from even Audi's top engineers to prevent any crucial details of the car's aerodynamic capabilities from leaking to competitors.<ref name = "Guardianobit" /> Piëch often liked to ride along with automotive journalists during press test drives and would consider their critiques to improve Volkswagen's vehicles. ''[[Car and Driver]]'' writer John Phillips recounted how when he test drove the [[Volkswagen New Beetle]] during its launch in 1997, Piëch rode along and asked for his opinion on how its chassis and driving dynamics could be improved.<ref name = "CD">[https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15122836/john-phillips-my-encounters-with-piich-column/ John Phillips: We're Not Done With You Yet, Piëch]</ref> Similarly, Piëch once demanded that an ''Automobile'' reviewer take the Volkswagen Phaeton up to its top speed while he rode along in the back seat.<ref name ="Auto" />

With a leadership style described as "old fashioned",<ref name="Lutz1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CClPZ1TLtUU|title=Ferdinand K. Piech 2014 Induction Video|date=5 August 2014 |via=YouTube|access-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504142909/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CClPZ1TLtUU|archive-date=4 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Piëch was known for his prolific firing of subordinates throughout his career, particularly how he engineered the ousting of former Volkswagen CEO [[Bernd Pischetsrieder]] and Porsche CEO [[Wendelin Wiedeking]].<ref name = "Auto" /> According to Piëch, he fired any subordinate who "makes the same mistake twice".<ref name = "Auto" /> ''The Guardian'' noted, "Piech was known for his ability to outmanoeuvre competitors by stoking internal rivalries to his own advantage, even if it resulted in turning against his own managers, including the VW chief executive Bernd Pischetsrieder, to side with VW's labour leaders."<ref name = "Guardianobit" /> Piëch leveraged this reputation to use threats and intimidation to get subordinates to meet his lofty goals; during Piëch's induction into the [[Automotive Hall of Fame]] in 2014, fellow automotive executive Bob Lutz recounted a conversation he had with Piëch at the [[Frankfurt Auto Show]] in the early 1990s, in which he remarked how he was impressed with the fit and finish and tight body tolerances on Volkswagen's new models. Piëch told Lutz that he achieved this by assembling Volkswagen's top body engineers in his office and telling them they would all be fired if all of Volkswagen's vehicles didn't have body tolerances of 3 [[millimeters]] within six weeks.<ref name ="Lutz1" /> ''Wired'' described Piëch as "Machiavellian" and "an autocrat's autocrat".<ref name ="Wired" /> Bob Lutz said of his management style, "It's what I call a reign of terror and a culture where performance was driven by fear and intimidation[...]That management style gets short-term results, but it's a culture that's extremely dangerous. Look at dictators. Dictators invariably wind up destroying the very countries they thought their omniscience and omnipotence would make great. It's fast and it's efficient, but at huge risk."<ref name ="Lutz2" /> He would also describe Piëch as a "mad genius" that while he respected, he would never want to work for or with at any capacity.<ref name ="Lutz3" /> Lutz, [[CNBC]], the American [[documentary]] TV series ''[[Dirty Money (2018 TV series)|Dirty Money]]'', among others, have claimed that the [[Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal]] is the result of the ruthless and tyrannical corporate culture Piëch installed at the company.<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/04/volkswagens-uniquely-awful-governance-at-fault-in-emissions-scandal.html Volkswagen's Uniquely Awful Governance At Fault in Emissions Scandal]</ref><ref name ="Lutz2">[https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a27197/bob-lutz-vw-diesel-fiasco/ One Man Established the Culture That Led to VW's Emissions Scandal]</ref><ref name = "DirtyMoney">''[[Dirty Money (2018 TV series)|Dirty Money]]'' Season 1, episode 1, "Hard NOx". Released 26 January 2018.</ref> Although Piëch had tried a hostile takeover against [[Suzuki]] in 2010 and threatened its management, Suzuki won the case to terminate its partnership with Volkswagen at the [[International Court of Arbitration]] of the [[International Chamber of Commerce]] after Piëch fell from power, and could dissolve the capital tie-up until September 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bizgate.nikkei.co.jp/article/DGXMZO3113881030052018000000 |author=Takaki Nakanishi |date=21 January 2016 |title=スズキの強運、宿敵の失脚を経てVWに逆転勝訴 |trans-title=Good luck of Suzuki: Reverse victory after the enemy Piëch fell from power |website=[[The Nikkei]] |language=ja |access-date=18 March 2021 }}</ref>

==Awards==
*Named [[Car Executive of the Century]] (1999)
*[[Wilhelm Exner Medal]] (2002).<ref>Editor, ÖGV. (2015). Wilhelm Exner Medal. Austrian Trade Association. ÖGV. Austria.</ref>
*Inducted into the [[Automotive Hall of Fame]] (2014)

==Footnotes==
===Notes===
{{notelist
| refs =
{{efn
| name = sword
| Piech was correct; The Emperor would later have the sword examined by experts and they confirmed that it was fake. 
}}
}}

===References===
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081010144537/https://www.dofonline.co.uk/governance/volkswagen-boss-denies-slush-fund-knowledge9086.html Volkswagen boss denies slush fund knowledge]

{{Porsche vehicles}}{{Bugatti}}{{Volkswagen Group brands}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piech, Ferdinand}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:ETH Zurich alumni]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Vienna]]
[[Category:Porsche family]]
[[Category:Austrian automotive engineers]]
[[Category:Volkswagen Group executives]]
[[Category:Lamborghini people]]
[[Category:Chief executives in the automobile industry]]
[[Category:Audi people]]
[[Category:Scania AB people]]
[[Category:Škoda people]]
[[Category:Austrian people of German Bohemian descent]]
[[Category:Automotive businesspeople]]
[[Category:Porsche people]]
[[Category:Alumni of Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz]]
[[Category:Scientists with dyslexia]]