One of the key figures behind Volkswagen’s electric MEB platform and upcoming Project Trinity has quit. Michael Jost, VW’s chief strategist, announced on his website that he is leaving the company after more than a decade.
Volkswagen has yet to publicly acknowledge the departure, but the executive has been with the company since 2010, joining through Skoda. He was the brand’s head of product management until he joined the Volkswagen brand as chief strategy officer in 2015.
In 2018, he became the Volkswagen Group’s head of strategy, helping to drive its massive transition into electric vehicles. Before joining VW, he worked at BMW.
“Since 1996 I am leading a weekend-marriage and -family,” Jost wrote, per Reuters. “Now corona has brought me home and we’ve realized that we can live together. I want to stay here. I thank you all and I do apologize if it was ‘too much’ sometimes.”
Read Also: 2021 VW ID.4 Still Needs Some Improvements
Indeed, the launch of the ID.3 and ID.4 has been far from smooth. The ID.3 was plagued with software issues and early reviews of the ID.4 have been disappointing. Now, Volkswagen is promising an even more ambitious next-generation halo EV called Project Trinity.
Jost’s departure comes just days before Volkswagen’s “Power Day,” which many are suggesting will be the brand’s equivalent of Tesla’s Battery Day. Volkswagen has indicated that the March 15 event will be a showcase for impressive future technology.
Jost suggested on his website that he will now move onto a role at Austria’s Silent Yachts. Intriguingly, the firm recently signed a deal with Volkswagen Group to supply MEB platforms to supply power for electric yachts.
“What’s next? After smartcars it’s now smartboats, a nautical passion that I want to devote myself to with my family,” said Jost.
