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FRANKFURT, Germany - The recently named head of Volkswagen's North American business won't be taking up his new job and has left the company.
The announcement comes as Volkswagen faces a scandal over rigging the results of emissions testing of its diesel vehicles in the US.
Volkswagen's Skoda division made the announcement about its chairman, Winfried Vahland, in a news release on Wednesday.
Diesel scandal
The release said that Vahland will not be moving to take over his new position carrying overall responsibility for North America. It said his decision to quit was not related to the scandal over the diesel engines.
Vahland, the former head of VW's crucial China business, was leaving because of "differing views on the organization of the new group region."
VW CEO Matthias Mueller thanked him for 25 years of service and a "great contribution to the company."
"We respect his decision and thank him for his exceptional performance," Mueller was quoted as saying in the Skoda statement. Skoda, based in the Czech Republic, is one of VW's brands, which also include Audi, SEAT, Lamborghini and Bentley.
