Carl Horst Hahn was a German businessman and head of the Volkswagen Group from 1982 to 1993.
13 Facts About Carl Hahn
2.
Carl Hahn served as the chairman of the board of management of the parent company, Volkswagen AG.
3.
Carl Hahn's father had been a senior manager of the German car and motorcycle company DKW and was a co-founder of the Auto Union in 1932, which later evolved into the Audi car brand.
4.
Carl Hahn studied business administration at the University of Cologne and the University of Zurich, economics and politics in the UK and France.
5.
In 1952, Carl Hahn received his doctorate in Economics at the University of Berne in Switzerland.
6.
Carl Hahn went to Perugia for a year to study art history, intending to volunteer at Fiat.
7.
In 1954 Carl Hahn joined VW as an assistant of chairman Heinrich Nordhoff, and in 1955 became head of sales promotion in VW's export department.
8.
Carl Hahn became a beloved figure in the United States before his return to Germany in 1965, having been affectionately nicknamed "Mr Volkswagen" by VW enthusiasts.
9.
In 1973, Carl Hahn left VW and returned to Hannover, Germany, to lead the German tire company Continental AG.
10.
Carl Hahn brought in new management and kept the Westmoreland factory open to produce the second-generation Golf as a hedge against currency fluctuation between the German mark and the US dollar, but inefficient production and soft sales in North America caused VW to close the plant in 1988.
11.
In 1984, Carl Hahn initiated engagement in the Chinese market, sooner than European competitors.
12.
Carl Hahn's acquisitions made Volkswagen a global force, and affirmed its place as Europe's largest automaker.
13.
Carl Hahn was a member of the advisory board of VW until 1997.