He will be assisted by Ulrich Hackenberg, formerly Audi's head of development, as the top executive for development at the Volkswagen brand.

The Volkswagen brand is planning "robust" growth in sales and higher profit this year as wealthy consumers end the spending restraint brought on by the 2008 recession.

The design of the grille was changed to the current design language of the Volkswagen brand.

James Fuller, head of the Volkswagen brand in North America, concurred in using the Golf name to stress the car's Teutonic character.

But Wolfgang Bernhard, chairman of the Volkswagen brand, has staked his reputation - and probably his job - on drastic and immediate improvements.

Its print and television ads for the Volkswagen brand respected the customer's intelligence, gave detailed information about Volkswagen's products, and made fun of the unorthodox qualities of the cars.

Bernhard then served as the CEO of the Volkswagen brand for Volkswagen AG from 2005 to 2007.

The Volkswagen brand sold more vehicles during the first quarter of 2003 in China than they did in Germany.

It is also designed to reduce suspicions in other divisions that the Volkswagen brand is favored in corporate decision-making.

Styling reflects a new direction for the Volkswagen brand, with a new chrome front grille, first seen on the Golf Mk5 R32, which has spread to other models.