Bentley announces new engineering chief
Rolf Frech to be Board Member for Engineering
Bentley Motors announced today the appointment of Rolf Frech (53) as its new Board Member for Engineering. Frech joins from Porsche AG where he was Director for Complete Vehicle Engineering and Quality. He succeeds Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, who is to take up the position of Managing Director with the Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA), the German Association of the Automotive Industry.
Frech joined Porsche in 1983 and worked as an engine development engineer before taking responsibility for simulation and testing. Since becoming Porsche’s Director for Complete Vehicle Engineering in 2001, he has been instrumental in the expansion of the Porsche model range including both the Cayenne and Panamera in addition to the sports cars of the Zuffenhausen manufacturer.
Commenting on the appointment, Bentley Chairman and Chief Executive, Wolfgang Dürheimer, said:
“I am delighted to welcome Rolf Frech to the Bentley team. He brings with him a wealth of experience from Porsche, experience which will help us develop new generations of Bentleys which share the same commitment to performance, quality and engineering excellence. Having worked with him for 12 years I know he will be a real asset to the Company and provide technical leadership to our Design, Engineering and R&D operations.”
Frech said: “I am excited about this new position. Bentley has a long and proud heritage and tradition of performance, design and hand-crafted luxury. It will be my responsibility to develop new ideas and technologies which live up to the expectations of Bentley customers and the achievements of the past.”
Rolf Frech, who is married with two daughters, will take up his new role at Bentley in November 2011.
Dr Ulrich Eichhorn joined Bentley in 2003 as Board Member for Engineering after being Volkswagen Group Director of Research and has played a major role in the revitalisation of the famous Brand. His arrival coincided with the last phase of the development of the ground-breaking Continental GT and his tenure has included the Continentals GTC, Flying Spur and Supersports, the iconic Azure and Brooklands, the all-new Mulsanne and, most recently, the 2nd generation Continental GT and GTC. Dr Eichhorn will join the Association of the German Automobile Industry (VDA).
Commenting on the management change, Bentley Chairman and Chief Executive, Wolfgang Dürheimer, said:
“Everyone at Bentley would like to thank Dr Eichhorn for his significant contribution to Bentley Motors as we know it today. All our current products bear his handwriting and we wish him all the best and every success in the future.”
