AUDI AG: Dr. h.c. Andreas Schleef Retires After 35 Years

After spending 35 years with AUDI AG, a retirement ceremony was held today for Dr. Andreas Schleef at the Audi Supervisory Board Meeting in Györ, Hungary. The Supervisory Board and the Board of Management thanked Dr. Schleef not only for his outstanding work as Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources of AUDI AG, but also his contributions to invigorating and realigning SEAT S.A, the Spanish subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.

Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management at Volkswagen AG and Chairman of Audi’s Supervisory Board, expressed his gratitude to the former Board Member for his solid performance and emphasized Dr. Schleef’s commitment to the brand with the four rings. He acknowledged the retiree’s accomplishments, stating: “With his remarkable dedication and his innovative ideas, Dr. Schleef not only helped Audi become one of the most efficient and employee-friendly companies around, but also strengthened SEAT for the road ahead.”

“For 35 years, Andreas Schleef played an instrumental role in molding this company,” emphasized Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. “He played a pivotal role in making Audi a premium brand.”

Peter Mosch, Chairman of the Works Council, complimented Schleef’s throughout constructive and amicable cooperation with the Works Council.

Dr. Schleef joined Audi in Ingolstadt as an HR consultant back in 1973. He held various supervisory positions in Human Resources at Audi and Volkswagen prior to joining the Board of Management of AUDI AG in 1985, where he was responsible for Human Resources until 2002. He then became Chairman of SEAT S.A.

Upon turning 63 on September 30, 2006, Dr. Schleef ceased working at SEAT. He continued his commitment to Audi, however, as a universal consultant. Now, with completing the 65th year of his life, he enters into retirement.

In addition to his achievements in the business world, Dr. Schleef also contributed significantly to the academic realm. The Czech Technical University in Prague therefore awarded him the honorary title of Doctor Honoris Causa in 1997. And in 2003, an honorary doctorate was conferred upon him by the University of Oradea in Romania.

Dr. Schleef has also been honored several times for his diverse commitments in business and political contexts. The President of the Federal Republic of Germany awarded him the Cross of the Order of Merit in 1993 and, in 2006, the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit. Dr. Schleef was also awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi (Cross of Saint George) in 2006 – the highest honor issued to civilians by the Catalonian government in Spain.

AUDI AG sold a total of 964,151 cars in 2007 and thus achieved its twelfth consecutive record year. With revenue of €33,617 million and profit before tax of €2,915 million, the company attained its best figures ever. Audi produces vehicles in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (Germany), Györ (Hungary), Changchun (China) and Brussels (Belgium). At the end of 2007, production of the Audi A6 started in Aurangabad, India. The company is active in more than 100 markets worldwide. AUDI AG’s wholly owned subsidiaries include Lamborghini S.p.A. in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, and quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm. Audi currently employs around 57,000 people worldwide, including 45,000 in Germany. The brand with the four rings invests more than € 2 billion each year in order to sustain the company’s technological lead embodied in its “Vorsprung durch Technik” slogan. Audi plans to significantly increase the number of models in its portfolio by 2015 to 40.