Volkswagen R division director resigns
December 4, 2020Jost Kapito resigned due to disagreements with management.
According to the AutoCar portal, the current director of the Volkswagen R division, Jost Capito, has resigned. According to journalists, this happened due to disagreements with the top management of the brand. This reportedly happened a few hours after Volkswagen announced its retirement from motorsport.
It is worth noting that this is the second dismissal of a 62-year-old German in the past five years. In 2012, Capito was named Director of Motorsport for Volkswagen and led the company to victory in the FIA Rally in 2013, 2014 and 2015. In 2016 he left the post to become the head of McLaren Racing. A year later, Capito returned to Volkswagen.
The first signs of controversy were reportedly seen back in 2019, when Volkswagen pulled out of the World Touring Car Racing Championship, thus pulling the Golf R away from motorsport. Then, in early 2020, the company unveiled an updated Touareg SUV with a 456 hp plug-in hybrid powertrain. Then Capito stated that the model must wear the nameplate “R”, which he was denied.
