Porsche boss faces software woes keeping VW a step behind Tesla

Volkswagen seeks to turn the page on four tumultous years led by Diess (left), who hands over the wheel to Blume, the boss of Porsche who is also known for his mediator qualities. — AFP

Herbert Diess’s master plan for beating Tesla Inc hinged on replacing calloused factory hands with the nimble fingertips of 10,000 software workers who would transform Volkswagen AG into a tech player.

Instead, after two years of VW electric car customers angrily stabbing at screens and board members at the world’s second-largest automaker pointing fingers, Diess has been forced out. Porsche boss Oliver Blume, who starts as VW chief executive officer today, is all car guy rather than software guru and got the gig by being a team player and pragmatist.