Bernd Pischetsrieder is an automobile engineer and manager and currently serves as chairman of Volkswagen AG. He was born on February 15, 1948, in Munich, Germany and studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich from 1968 to 1972. He earned the degree of "Diplom-Ingenieur" and began his career at BMW in 1973 as a Production Planning Engineer. He was promoted to become chairman of the board of BMW from 1993 through 1999. Car redirects here. ... Volkswagen AG (TYO: 7659) is a German corporation. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich: St. ... Munich University of Technology, or Technical University of Munich (TUM) (in German: Technische Universität München, TUM), is a major German university located in Munich (and the towns of Garching and Freising outside of Munich). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

During his time as head of BMW, Pischetsrieder was known for solidifying the company's position as a leader in the luxury car market with a solid sporting and engineering reputation. His decision in 1994 to purchase the Rover Group from British Aerospace was widely regarded as a failure. Although this brought the valuable Mini and Land Rover marques into BMW ownership, the Rover passenger car operation drained the company's coffers. Rover was sold off in 2000, with Ford taking on Land Rover, and the revived Mini remaining at BMW. A more notable achievement was the assumption of the Rolls-Royce marque, a deal which left rival Volkswagen manager, Ferdinand Piëch, with only the Bentley marque and the Crewe factory. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Rover was a British automobile manufacturer and later a marque based at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham. ... British Aerospace (BAe) was a UK aircraft manufacturer, now part of BAE Systems. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... Land Rover was the name of one of the first British civilian all-terrain utility vehicles, first produced by Rover in 1947. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker based on vehicle sales in 2005. ... Rolls-Royce plc is the second-largest aircraft engine maker in the world, behind General Electric Aviation. ... VW redirects here. ... Ferdinand Piëch (born April 17, 1937 in Vienna) is an automobile engineer and manager. ... Bentleys winged B badge and hood ornament Bentley Motors Limited is a British based manufacturer of luxury automobiles and Grand Tourers. ... Map sources for Crewe at grid reference SJ705557 Crewe is a town in south Cheshire, in the north west of England. ...

On April 16, 2002, Pischetsrieder succeeded Piëch as chairman of Volkswagen AG. At Volkswagen, he directed Bugatti Automobiles SAS to reengineer the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, delaying an expected launch. He continued moving the Audi and VW marques upmarket to some controversy. April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Veyron 16. ... The Veyron 16. ...

He is known to be an enthusiastic driver and once totalled a US $1,000,000 silver McLaren F1 exotic sports car. There were only 64 street legal versions of the McLaren manufactured. The McLaren F1 is a supercar engineered and produced by McLaren Cars, a subsidiary of the British McLaren Group that, among others, owns the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team. ...

In a surprise announcement on November 7, 2006 it was revealed that Pischetsrieder would be stepping down from the top job at Volkswagen AG on 31 December that year. He was to be replaced by Dr Martin Winterkorn, who was head of the Audi division. November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Martin Winterkorn (born May 24, 1947 is the CEO of Volkswagens Audi brand. ...

Family connection

Sir Alec Issigonis, the legendary British car designer, engineer, and creator of the Morris Minor and of the Mini, was a first cousin once removed of Pischetsrieder.^[1] Pischetsrieder, dating back in the 1700's, is also know to be related to the extensive Bischetsrieder family in the United States. Heavy caligraphy is know to have distinguished the two families over time. Sir Alec Arnold Constantine Issigonis KBE FRS (November 18, 1906–October 2, 1988) was a designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the development of the Austin Mini in 1959. ... The revolutionary Morris Minor was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show on 20 September 1948, and attracted immediate attention. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... A cousin chart identifies the correct name for the relationship between two people with a common ancestor. ...

Notes

1. ^ Bardsley, Gillian. Issigonis: The Official Biography. Icon Books. ISBN 1-84046-687-1.