1. Martin Winterkorn was born on 24 May 1947 and is a German former business executive who served as chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen AG, the parent company of the Volkswagen Group, as well as chairman of the supervisory board of Audi, and chairman of the board of management of Porsche Automobil Holding SE.
Martin Winterkorn succeeded Bernd Pischetsrieder as CEO of Volkswagen AG in 2007.
Martin Winterkorn resigned as chairman of Audi on 11 November 2015, following the disclosure of further information regarding VW's gasoline-powered engines in connection to the scandal.
Martin Winterkorn served on the board of supervisors for German football club Bayern Munchen from 22 February 2003 until 18 December 2018.
Martin Winterkorn is credited with fostering a successful partnership between Audi and Bayern.
Martin Winterkorn was criminally indicted in the United States on 3 May 2018 on charges of fraud and conspiracy related to the emissions cheating scandal.
Martin Winterkorn remains a fugitive in the United States and is wanted by the Environmental Protection Agency on charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act, and multiple counts of wire fraud.
In February 2024, Martin Winterkorn appeared in a German court to testify, where he denied any wrongdoing.
Martin Winterkorn studied metallurgy and metal physics at the University of Stuttgart from 1966 to 1973.
Martin Winterkorn embarked on his career in 1977, as a specialist assistant in the research division "Process Engineering" at Robert Bosch GmbH.
In 1993 Martin Winterkorn became head of Group Quality Assurance at Volkswagen AG, and was appointed General Manager of Volkswagen AG with power of attorney in March 1994.
Martin Winterkorn was additionally responsible for the VW Group Product Management from June 1995.
In January 1996, Martin Winterkorn took over from Herbert Schuster as Member of the Brand Board of Management for "Technical Development" for the Volkswagen brand.
Martin Winterkorn was instrumental in getting Volkswagen CEO Ferdinand Piech to approve the production of the New Beetle.
Martin Winterkorn had been chairman of the board of management of Audi AG since 1 March 2002.
Martin Winterkorn headed the Audi brand group, including the brands SEAT and Lamborghini, which was formed on 1 January 2002.
Martin Winterkorn assumed responsibility for Technical Development at Audi AG with effect from 1 January 2003.
Martin Winterkorn succeeded Bernd Pischetsrieder as CEO of Volkswagen AG on 1 January 2007, and by 2014 he was the highest paid CEO of all companies listed on Germany's blue-chip DAX stock market.
Since June 2003, Martin Winterkorn has served as an honorary professor of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, in recognition of his service to the promotion of research at the establishment.
Martin Winterkorn was featured both in the 2007 and the 2008 Power List of American automotive magazine Motor Trend.
In September 2015, Martin Winterkorn apologized for Volkswagen AG having installed software in its diesel cars to allow the vehicles to pass emissions tests by decreasing emissions when the vehicle detected it was undergoing testing but otherwise pollute at amounts well beyond legally allowed limits.
Martin Winterkorn confirmed that Volkswagen AG could face fines of up to $18bn, but had not issued a recall at the time of Martin Winterkorn's departure.
Martin Winterkorn blamed "the terrible mistakes of a few people," whom he did not name, for the international scandal.
Martin Winterkorn additionally resigned as Audi chairman on 11 November 2015.
Martin Winterkorn was charged in a United States indictment with fraud and conspiracy in the case on 3 May 2018.
Additionally, the indictment raised questions regarding Volkswagen's internal review of the incident, which at the time of the Martin Winterkorn indictment had not been made public.
Martin Winterkorn had repeatedly denied knowledge of the widespread Volkswagen emissions test cheating up to the indictment, including his statements before the German parliament, the Bundestag.
In January 2020 it was reported that the German judge in the case stated that Martin Winterkorn might be allowed to keep 12 million dollars in bonuses, and possibly walk free from the charges.