Volkswagen's marketing and strategy director Jochen Sengpiehl (54) has been arrested in and deported by China after drugs were found.
Volkswagen's head of marketing and strategy, Jochen Sengpiehl (54), has ended up in a serious situation with the authorities in China after the discovery of drugs.
Sengpiehl, who previously held the position of global marketing director of the Volkswagen Group and, among other things, was the man behind the slogan "Das Auto", was recently arrested in China in connection with a drug control.
According to the German newspaper Bild Zeitung, the episode took place in Beijing, shortly after Sengpiehl had returned from a holiday on Koh Samui in Thailand.
The police were allegedly able to prove that Jochen Sengpiehl had consumed drugs, and the case was supposed to revolve around hashish.
After his arrest, the Volkswagen boss was detained and interrogated for several hours. He was then transferred to a prison and was detained for more than ten days.
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According to reports, representatives from Volkswagen and the German embassy later managed to secure his release, after which he was immediately forced to leave China. The marketing manager must then never travel to the country again.
Drug laws in China are very strict, and citizens of the country are not allowed to consume drugs even when they are abroad.
Violations of these rules can result in up to 15 days in custody, which was also the case for Jochen Sengpiehl. Although cannabis has now been legalized in Germany, this does not apply in China, where the sanctions are considerably tougher.
The case comes at an unfortunate time for Volkswagen, which is already facing challenges in China.
Sales of Volkswagen cars are declining and the company has been overtaken by Chinese competitors such as BYD. Volkswagen has a total of 90,000 employees and 39 factories in the country, and their previously close relationship with the Chinese state has begun to weaken. A scandal like this involving a top executive would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
Jochen Sengpiehl has had a long career in the automotive industry, where he has held leading positions at several major car manufacturers such as Nissan, Mercedes and Hyundai.
It is still unclear whether he can continue in his current role or will be reassigned after the episode. Sengpiehl returned to Volkswagen in 2017 to work on the company's image after the dieselgate scandal.
The Volkswagen group actually risks having to close entire car brands due to the EU's strained relations with China in particular. Read more about it here .
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