Audi Oz boss departs

AUDI Australia managing director Joerg Hofmann will begin a new job looking after the beleaguered German market for the brand as managing director of Audi AG – German Retail Group, from February 1.

He leaves a legacy of a continuous 60-month growth spurt that has seen Audi’s annual sales rocket from around 3500 in 2004 to more than 11,000 for 2009.

Speaking to the media at the launch of the TT RS and S5 Cabriolet in Sydney, Mr Hofmann said that he had achieved everything he wanted in Australia, and so was seeking new challenges within Audi AG.

The opportunity to move to head office came after Audi’s Lighthouse headquarters opening in Sydney in August.

The 42-year-old German national said that his five years based in Sydney were the most satisfying of his professional and personal life, adding that the experience has changed him.

“After five years here it is time to move on for me.

“Five years is a pretty long time and I certainly enjoyed it.

“I’ve changed a few things … privately and professionally they are the best years that I have seen … but it was always going to be that I was not going to stay in Australia.

“But I need a new professional challenge, I have to say … and right after the Lighthouse the Audi AG board (offered me the position).

“I was sent down to get (Audi’s) Australian business under control. And I think it is fair to say that this mission has been accomplished, with (us) tripling sales and tripling market share (over the last five years) … we have had 60 months of record sales growth.

“The whole dealer network has also been rebuilt (during that time) and will be the benchmark for the Audi world.

“So my job has been done and now I need a bigger challenge, and I am quite proud that the Audi AG board has asked me to take over the German home market. It is still the biggest market in the Audi world, ahead of China.

“But I have a big job up there because it is a very challenging market, and I will take over the role of managing director of Audi AG – Retail Group, based in Germany.

“It is a great career move for me. However, in the end it is not an easy step for me to leave Australia and to move on.” In his new role as the MD of Audi's German Retail Group based in Ingolstadt, Mr Hofmann wil be responsible for all Audi-owned dealerships in the metropolitan areas and capital cities of Germany.

He will have a team of 2000 staff and will be responsible for 50,000 sales annually.

A successor for Mr Hofmann has been nominated by Audi AG, but Audi Australia's new managing director will not be announced until 2010. January's A5 Sportback launch will be the last to be overseen by Mr Hofmann in Australia.