The head of product engineering at the Chattanooga Volkswagen plant, Dr. Burkhard Huhnke, has been elevated to the post of vice president of product innovations, effective immediately.
VW officials said in this role "he will support the fostering of innovation in the market, build strong connections with national research and development organizations and be a liaison with universities. Along with these new responsibilities, Dr. Huhnke will continue his representation of Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) at the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), a $260 million private and public funded project.
Earlier this year, Dr. Huhnke was also named distinguished Research Fellow at the Global Center for Disruptive Innovation at Hult International Business School in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dr. Matthias Erb, EVP of engineering and planning, said,. “Dr. Burkhard Huhnke’s 18 years of experience in research and development have prepared him for his expanded role here at the North American Engineering and Planning Center. Dr. Huhnke’s expertise will help direct our innovation efforts in the North American Region, for example in terms of lightweight materials and connectivity.”
He had been leading the product engineering teams on the Volkswagen Passat and Midsize-SUV projects.
From 2006 to 2011, Dr. Huhnke was the executive director of Volkswagen’s Electronics Research Laboratory in Palo Alto, CA. He initiated the Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Center (VAIL) at Stanford University with Professors Sebastian Thrun, Cliff Nass and Chris Gerdes. During this time Huhnke also served as the project leader for the Autonomous Car Project: Volkswagen Passat Junior, as part of the DARPA Urban Challenge and the Pikes Peak hill climbing driverless Audi TTS.