- Jochen Sengpiehl, VW’s marketing chief, was detained for ten days in China after failing a drug test.
- He allegedly tested positive for both cocaine and cannabis, leading to his deportation and a lifetime ban from China.
- Chinese law allows authorities to detain individuals for up to 15 days for drug use, even if consumed abroad.
Thought you’d just had a bad day at the office? Well, it likely pales in comparison to VW’s chief marketing officer and head of product strategy for China, Jochen Sengpiehl, who was recently deported from the country after a positive drug test on his return from a trip to Thailand.
Sengpiehl reportedly tested positive for both cannabis and cocaine. He was detained for ten days in China – a nation with strict drug laws – before being sent back to Germany. He had spent more than two years working in China.
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There’s no official word on why Sengpiehl was randomly drug tested after returning from Thailand, but a police report alleges that Thai police tipped off authorities in China, according to Wards Auto. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office said its Beijing embassy had “provided consular assistance and was in regular contact with the concerned individual and his family as well as with the local authorities.”
Drug policies in China allow authorities to detain individuals for up to 15 days, even if they only consumed drugs overseas.
Both Volkswagen Group China and the German embassy worked to secure the release of Sengpiehl, but he was ultimately deported, apparently on orders directly from Chinese President Xi Jinping. He has also been ordered never to return to the country.
While you’ve probably never heard of Sengpiehl, he has strong marketing credentials, including creating VW’s famous ‘Das Auto’ slogan. Before serving as VW’s chief marketing officer in China, he had been the head of marketing for the entire VW group.
The timing of the incident is particularly bad for Volkswagen. The car manufacturer is losing its market share in China, and during the third quarter, its local sales fell by 15% to 711,500 vehicles.
