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Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Audi

Audi of America has announced that Scott Keogh will take over as the company's President effective immediately. Keogh has spent the last six years serving as Chief Marketing Officer at Audi of America, so he's certainly familiar with the ins and outs of the brand and its positioning in the U.S.

Keogh takes over the position left by former Audi U.S. President Johan De Nysschen, who vacated his post to take the title of Senior Vice President of Nissan Motor Company in charge of the Infiniti division.

Considering that Audi has posted 17 consecutive months of record sales, Keogh will be under some pressure to continue the brand's U.S. marketplace success. The U.S. unit posted 117,561 sales in 2011, but parent company Volkswagen AG has an oft stated goal of Audi selling 200,000 vehicles a year by 2018.

Perhaps the biggest challenge ahead for Keogh will be reaching that goal while Audi begins building vehicles in North America for the first time. The German luxe brand is charting a plan to build the Q5 SUV locally to mitigate the pricing disadvantage it has with U.S. dollar-Euro conversion rates. Having local production will pressure Audi to sell in greater volumes than it ever has before.

Eyes will be on who Keogh taps to be his chief marketing officer. That job will be tough for anyone since Keogh has such strong positions and opinions himself on marketing. A former Mercedes-Benz and smart communications and marketing executive, Keogh has made a name for himself in part by tweaking the more established German brands Mercedes-Benz and BMW, including in Super Bowl advertising.

Says Rupert Stadler, Audi AG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: "Gains in the U.S. are truly a strategic pillar for the brand and we are confident that the leadership provided by Scott Keogh will continue the momentum at Audi of America."

with David Kiley

Feel free to read through the official press release below.Continue reading Scott Keogh announced as Audi of America President

Scott Keogh announced as Audi of America President originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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