The reality of a breakdown during the hostile Dakar
The Dakar Rally is often portrayed as a heroic clash between man, machine and an unforgiving wilderness.
- Industry News
- 14 December 2025
Niels Wichmann has been appointed as the new Head of Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand effective 1 August 2023.
Wichmann replaces Steffen Knapp who has been appointed as the brand head of Volkswagen Taiwan.
Wichmann, 51, joins Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) from Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg where he was head of Product Marketing for small/compact cars such as Polo.
He has been working for Volkswagen since 2000. During this time, Wichmann has held various management positions in sales within the Volkswagen Brand, including a global assignment in Brazil.
“Niels brings with him a wealth of experience in sales and product marketing, which will help us to move the brand to the next level, especially at this time when it is faced with tough competition in the local market.
“He will also play an important role in our growth strategy in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Thomas Milz, VWSA Sales and Marketing Director.
The Dakar Rally is often portrayed as a heroic clash between man, machine and an unforgiving wilderness.
For South Africa, this race is more than just a contest of speed and endurance: it is a showcase of local engineering excellence.
Stellantis and Bolt have announced a partnership to jointly explore the development and deployment of Level 4 autonomous vehicles for commercial operations across Europe, marking a significant step to bring driverless mobility to the continent's streets.
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I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
The Dakar Rally is often portrayed as a heroic clash between man, machine and an unforgiving wilderness.
For South Africa, this race is more than just a contest of speed and endurance: it is a showcase of local engineering excellence.
Stellantis and Bolt have announced a partnership to jointly explore the development and deployment of Level 4 autonomous vehicles for commercial operations across Europe, marking a significant step to bring driverless mobility to the continent's streets.