Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess has reportedly made a couple of major changes to its top management.

According to German publication Auto, Motor und Sport, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has been promoted to Volkswagen brand chief and Skoda head Bernhard Maier will assume the mantle at Porsche as his successor. Blume has been Porsche CEO since 2015 and, under his leadership, the Porsche Taycan all-electric vehicle had a very successful launch. His new position will not only require him to assume control of all day-to-day management of the Group's signature brand, but also handle the launch of the VW ID.3 all-electric hatchback.

The latter won't be an easy task, but the payoff will be huge if done properly. As we previously reported, the ID.3 has been plagued by software issues that still haven't been fully resolved. Production has already gotten underway for a summertime launch, but one major unresolved issue is the capabilities of the assistance systems designed to gather data in order to improve the driving experience.

Blume's task is to get this and many other problems worked out quickly and correctly. Another problem Blume must fix involves the all-new Volkswagen Golf. Even though it won't be sold in the US, the more powerful VW GTI hot hatch will be rolled out in 2022.

Like the ID.3, the latest Golf is also suffering from software problems, specifically the eCall emergency assistance drivers would use in case of an accident. Also troubling is that there are reported production problems as only one-third of completed new Golfs are problem-free. As for Maier, Porsche will be in good hands. Prior to his posting at Skoda, Maier served as Porsche's sales director.

Finally, it appears one key VW executive is about to get fired. The report claims Chief Marketing Officer Jochen Sengpiehl is out of a job following his mishandling of a VW advertisement last month that was pulled following accusations it was racist.