Fourth Time’s A Charm? Johan de Nysschen Returns To Volkswagen As North American COO

He also lead Infiniti and Cadillac

Johan de Nysschen returns to Volkswagen

De Nysschen was most recently the head of Cadillac.

Cadillac. Infiniti. Audi. Volkswagen. What do all four of these brands have in common? As of today, it’s one of their executives, as the company named Johan de Nysschen as their new North American chief operating officer. He formerly headed Audi of America, and now returns under the VW Group umbrella, this time reporting to Scott Keogh, who is now Volkswagen North America’s CEO.

De Nysschen’s automotive career spans thirty years, where he was most recently the head of Cadillac. He spent twenty of those thirty years at Volkswagen, meaning this move has more or less brought his career full circle. When he left Audi, he moved over to Infiniti, then to Cadillac before returning to Volkswagen. “I’m looking forward to rejoining the Group and leader I know well and admire,” he said in a statement. “This has been a great opportunity to play an important role at a company of this scale at a fascinating time.”

Cadillac CEO Johan de Nysschen departs company
Johan de Nysschen was most recently CEO at Cadillac, prior to his abrupt departure.

That fascinating time he refers to happens to be a crucial identity shift for Volkswagen. In the wake of its diesel emissions scandal and billions upon billions in fines, the company is reinventing itself with a wave of new electric models. That applies to nearly all brands under the VW Group banner. We’ve seen mainstream cars like the I.D. 3 and upcoming I.D. 4, as well as Audi’s e-tron models and Porsche’s new Taycan.

Coming back to VW

That fascinating time he refers to happens to be a crucial identity shift for Volkswagen. In the wake of its diesel emissions scandal and billions upon billions in fines, the company is reinventing itself with a wave of new electric models. That applies to nearly all brands under the VW Group banner. We’ve seen mainstream cars like the I.D. 3 and upcoming I.D. 4, as well as Audi’s e-tron models and Porsche’s new Taycan.

According to Volkswagen, Johan de Nysschen will take over the COO role next Tuesday, October 1. From there, he will focus on products tailored to the North American market. While that will include electric models eventually, it also factors in models like the compact Tiguan crossover, as well as the midsize Atlas and, soon, the five-passenger Atlas Cross Sport.

Will de Nysschen help bring Volkswagen into a new era in the wake of its recent trouble? Time will tell, as his career saw him bounce around several different luxury brands, with varying degrees of success. He did bring Audi to greater success in the North American market, so it will be interesting to see where the company goes moving forward.

Check out one of the latest models he’ll be responsible for, the Atlas Cross Sport, in our sneak peek video below.