Audi faces a crisis of confidence, with several senior executives resigning.

In early 2026, Audi faced an unprecedented crisis of confidence. CEO Dennis Gaudención, who had been in office for just over two years, witnessed a massive exodus of his core team, including Roger Styss, head of vehicle development; Christian Schneider, head of chassis development; and Gero Kempf, head of driver assistance systems. Simultaneously, the company's operating profit margin fell below 2% in the first nine months of 2025, and the R&D department rated Gaudención's reform plan as only "slightly below average."