Head of VW’s Jetta subbrand dies in Germany

Harald Müller, president of Volkswagen’s Jetta subbrand, passed away in Germany, according to information VW Group CEO Herbert Diess disclosed via his LinkedIn account this week.

Diess didn’t disclose what Müller died of or who will succeed him as head of the Jetta brand and president of FAW-VW’s Chengdu plant. 

“The Jetta brand will forever be associated with Harald Müller – no brand has ever started more successfully in China, the world’s largest automotive market,” Diess said in the LinkedIn post.

Jetta, previously a volume model under the VW brand, was unveiled as an entry-level subbrand specifically for China in February 2018. 

VW expects Jetta to capture share in China’s entry-level segment, where 80 percent of customers are first-time car buyers. 

Jetta has launched three products – the VA3 sedan, and the VS5 and VS7 crossovers. The vehicles, developed on VW’s MQB platform, are produced at the Chengdu plant run by FAW-VW, VW Group’s joint venture with China FAW Group Corp.

In the first three quarters, the Jetta brand delivered more than 100,000 vehicles in China, according to VW Group’s China unit.