Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess was ailing after a bitter dispute with the works council, but was initially able to hold on.
Therefore, his departure from the top post of the car company, announced on Friday evening, comes as a surprise despite the long history.
Herbert Diess will go on September 1st, Volkswagen announced.
His successor will be the boss of the sports car subsidiary Porsche AG, Oliver Blume.
Blume is to continue in his current position in parallel.
He is currently working on an IPO for Porsche AG, which should go ahead in the fall.
At VW, 54-year-old Blume will be supported operationally by Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz, who will also be responsible for day-to-day business in the future.
The former BMW manager Diess has been leading VW since April 2018. The supervisory board has agreed with the 63-year-old to leave, Volkswagen said.
The chairman of the VW supervisory board, Hans Dieter Pötsch, thanked Diess on behalf of the entire supervisory body for the work on the transformation of the company.
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