Volkswagen Group has appointed Werner Tietz as its new Group Head of Research and Development, expanding his current role as Executive Vice-President for R&D at Seat. Tietz succeeds Michael Steiner, who will concentrate solely on his responsibilities at Porsche, including a new position as Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board at the luxury sports car brand.
A veteran of the Volkswagen Group, Tietz holds a PhD in engineering from RWTH Aachen and has amassed more than 30 years of experience across multiple Group brands. He previously held senior development roles at Audi and Porsche, where he was closely involved in the creation of the Mission E concept, which laid the foundation for the Porsche Taycan — the brand’s first electric vehicle, launched in 2019.
Before joining Seat in 2020, Tietz was Head of Development at Bentley, where he was instrumental in defining a new engineering direction and setting the stage for the brand’s electrification plans. At Seat and its performance sub-brand Cupra, he has overseen the development of key electric vehicles, including the Cupra Tavascan SUV coupé and the Cupra UrbanRebel city car concept.
“With his vision, technical expertise, and more than three decades of experience within the Volkswagen Group, Werner Tietz has played a key role in shaping the innovative strength of brands such as Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Seat/Cupra,” said Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume. “His work stands for forward-looking development, from sustainable materials to electrification strategy.”
Tietz replaces Michael Steiner, who joined Porsche in 2002 and has held a series of leadership positions, including responsibility for vehicle development and the Panamera model line. Since 2016, he has served as Porsche’s Executive Board Member for R&D and assumed the Group-wide R&D role in 2022.
“Michael Steiner has made a significant contribution to positioning the Volkswagen Group as a future-oriented mobility group,” said Blume. “This includes the development of high-performance electrical and electronic architectures, software-defined vehicles, and strategic partnerships. I thank him for his commitment to the Group and look forward to his continued contributions in his expanded role at Porsche.”