VW Boss Says Firm Is Back On Track And Open To FCA Merger Talks

Volkswagen Group chief executive Matthias Muller believes the German automaker is back on track in the wake of 2015’s dieselgate scandal.

Speaking at the automaker’s annual press conference in Wolfsburg, Germany, Mueller said that “2016 did not turn out to be the nightmare that many predicted” for VW and that moving forward, the company “must become more international, more entrepreneurial and more female – especially at the management level,” he said.

While speaking to the crowd, Mueller said that VW has fixed 4 million diesel vehicles found cheating emissions and that it is modifying about 200,000 customer vehicles per week. He said that the brand plans to complete all the diesel fixes by this fall.

Beyond discussing how VW was coping after the scandal, Muller also spoke briefly about FCA president Sergio Marchionne’s interest in creating a merger with VW, reports Automotive News.

“There is no contact at this time between me and [FCA CEO Sergio] Marchionne,” Muller initially said. Later, he added “I am not ruling out a conversation. It would be very helpful if Mr. Marchionne were to communicate his considerations to me too and not just to you,” he told reporters.

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