New VDIK-President Michael Lohscheller calls for relief for business and consumers

Yesterday, Michael Lohscheller became the new President of the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (VDIK). Lohscheller had already been unanimously elected VDIK President by an extraordinary general meeting in February. He succeeds Reinhard Zirpel, who did not stand for re-election after eight years in office.

On taking office, Lohscheller emphasized the strong position of international automobile manufacturers in Germany at the association’s Berlin evening. At the same time, he called for a turnaround in economic policy: “The international manufacturers are a central component of Germany as a business location and sell more than one million cars and over 100,000 commercial vehicles here every year. We are concerned about the country’s economic strength. It is high time to ease the burden on companies and consumers, reduce bureaucracy and thus create incentives for growth. A stagnating economy and declining purchasing power are not conducive to car sales, whether German or international vehicles. Germany can do better,” said the new VDIK President.

In his welcoming address, Oliver Luksic, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Affairs, emphasized how important it is for individual mobility to remain affordable in Germany. The international car manufacturers play an important role in this.

After the EU Commission yesterday announced the introduction of provisional, additional import duties of up to 38.1 percent on e-cars from China as of July 4, Luksic added: “Importing vehicles is not always an easy business. The truth is that tariffs lead to counter-tariffs. In addition, international manufacturers are important customers for German suppliers. The German economy would not benefit from a trade war.”

After holding various positions at Jungheinrich, Daimler Chrysler, Mitsubishi Motors and Volkswagen, Michael Lohscheller worked at Opel from 2012 to 2021, first as CFO and then as CEO from 2017. He then led the Vietnamese car manufacturer VinFast as Global CEO. Most recently, Lohscheller was President & CEO of Nikola Corporation, a US manufacturer of electric and hydrogen trucks, until August 2023.

Reinhard Zirpel wished his successor every success and a lucky hand and explained: “Michael Lohscheller is an extraordinarily experienced expert and leader in the German and international automotive industry. With him at the helm, the VDIK is excellently equipped to successfully meet the challenges of the future.”

Jens Schulz, Managing Director of MMD Automobile GmbH, and Vincent Ricoux, Managing Director of Nissan Deutschland GmbH, were newly elected to the VDIK Board of Directors by the VDIK General Assembly. Bernhard Kaplan, Managing Director of Mazda Deutschland GmbH, and Jan-Kas van der Stelt, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Deutschland GmbH, were re-elected for a further term of office.

The current VDIK Board of Directors is composed as follows:

Michael Lohscheller, President

André Schmidt, Vice President
President Toyota Deutschland GmbH

Jan-Hendrik Hülsmann
Spokesman of the Board of Management ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland GmbH

Bernhard Kaplan
Managing Director Mazda Motors (Deutschland) GmbH

Vincent Ricoux
Managing Director Nissan Deutschland GmbH

Jens Schulz
Managing Director MMD Automobile GmbH

Jan-Kas van der Stelt
Managing Director Jaguar Land Rover Deutschland GmbH

Caption: From left to right: Alexander Jess, Reinhard Zirpel, Oliver Luksic, Michael Lohscheller. Source: VDIK
Further images for editorial use can be found here.