The Volkswagen China CMO Faced Expulsion From China Due To Drug Use.

(VOR News) – Subsequent to the results of a positive drug test conducted by Volkswagen following his return from a vacation in Thailand, Jochen Sengpiehl, the chief marketing officer for Volkswagen Group China, was mandated to exit the country.

This resulted in the cessation of his employment. The Chinese government’s social media platforms have allegedly exhibited considerable interest in this recent event, according to the German publication Bild-Zeitung.

AFP said that German officials verified the news on Tuesday. The confirmation was reportedly made. Sengpiehl was placed in jail for more than ten days and given the direction to leave the country immediately after Chinese police discovered evidence of cannabis and cocaine in his blood, as reported by AFP.

Sengpiehl They also ordered Volkswagen to leave the country immediately.

It took Volkswagen and officials from the German embassy some time to be able to successfully negotiate his immediate release after he had been held for a period of time.

The newspaper Bild, on the other hand, claims that he was compelled to leave the country soon after being required to do so.

Campaign Asia-Pacific endeavored to contact Volkswagen Group for a statement regarding the matter. The subsequent text is a summarized version of the statement issued by a global spokesperson:

We request your understanding that we shall refrain from further commenting on the substance of your inquiries due to our contractual and data protection confidentiality requirements.

The incident sheds a bright light on the many different legal landscapes that are involved in the use of drugs.

Although Germany decriminalized the use of cannabis earlier this year and Thailand became the first Asian nation to decriminalize it for medical purposes in 2022 (although the use of cannabis for recreational purposes is scheduled to be prohibited by the end of the year), China continues to uphold extremely stringent anti-narcotics laws, with severe penalties for those who violate them.

There are also severe Volkswagen penalties for those who violate these laws.

The decade of the 1990s marked the beginning of Sengpiehl’s professional development at Nissan. After that, he moved on to work at BBDO and Daimler respectively. After serving as senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Volkswagen AG, he went on to work for WPP for a period of time.

During his time at Volkswagen AG, he held both of these positions. In the time leading up to his appointment as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Hyundai Motor Europe, he was the founder of his own business, which was called Jochen Sengpiehl Automotive Brand Management.

Sengpiehl arrived back at Volkswagen in 2017 and was promoted to the role of chief marketing officer for the global market. This marked his return to the company. It is because of the well-known catchphrase “Das Auto” (which translates to “The Car”) that he is already highly recognized.

It was in the year 2020 that Sengpiehl, who was serving as the worldwide chief marketing officer for the brand at the time, claimed responsibility for controversial advertising that promoted the Golf 8 and featured a video that was racist.

Within a short period of time, Volkswagen issued an apology, removed the commercial from its official Instagram profile, and started an investigation within the company. The year 2022 marked Sengpiehl’s relocation to China, where he assumed the position of China Chief Marketing Officer.

According to Volkswagen, China is a market that holds a significant amount of importance. BYD, a Chinese automotive business, surpassed Volkswagen to become the best-selling car brand in China after the country opened its market for automobiles in 2023.

Volkswagen had previously held this position. When it came to this particular aspect, this was the very first time that China had ever surpassed Volkswagen

SOURCE: CN

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