End of an era for one of the most popular car brands in South Africa
Managing director of Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA), Martina Biene, is set to leave the company, vacating a position she has held since 2022.
Biene was the first woman to be appointed chairperson or managing director at VWGA and will leave the company for Skoda Auto from 1 October 2026.
During Biene’s tenure at Volkswagen, the company achieved significant success, particularly at its Kariega manufacturing plant.
The Volkswagen factory in Kariega is the largest vehicle manufacturer in South Africa, and produced over 167,000 cars in 2024 under Biene’s leadership.
This was the manufacturing plant’s highest-ever production volume, and culminated in the factory producing its 1 millionth sixth-generation Polo earlier this year.
Under Biene’s stewardship, plans were also made for the Kariega plant to begin production for a third Volkswagen model, the Tengo.
The Volkswagen Group recently announced that Biene would be leaving her executive roles at the company to join Skoda Auto, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen.
Skoda is based in the Czech Republic and is one of the most popular car brands in Europe, particularly in countries such as England and Germany.
Biene said she was proud of several achievements during her time at Volkswagen, despite the company’s tough operating environment.
“Despite the challenges facing both the automotive industry and our company, we have achieved many milestones worth celebrating,” she said.
“The early launch of the Tengo ranks highly amongst these achievements for what it will bring to Plant Kariega production and our SUV sales offensive plans in South Africa and other markets on the African continent.”
Biene will be succeeded by Christiane Zorn, who is currently the Vice President of Porsche’s overseas region, another Volkswagen subsidiary.
Before joining Porsche, Zorn also worked for BMW in several international roles in Munich and Beijing, as well as for Audi.
“She joined BMW in 2013 after several years as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group,” VWGA said. “Her tenure at BMW included roles in Munich and Beijing.”
“From March 2020, she held various management roles at Audi, including Head of Sales for China, Head of Product Marketing and Head of Product Strategy.”
Zorn will take over Biene’s role in the Volkswagen Group from 1 October 2026, pending the necessary regulatory processes.
“I am excited to join Volkswagen Group Africa and play my part in driving the future of Volkswagen in Africa with the team,” Zorn said.
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