Audi has appointed Bram Schot, who took the role of interim CEO at the firm in June, as chairman of the board of management.

Schot took the reins from former CEO Rupert Stadler in the summer after Stadler was imprisoned in connection with the Dieselgate emissions scandal. Termination of Stadler's employment put an end to his 28-year career in the company.

Stadler was released from pre-trial detention in late October, despite a Munich court originally rejecting his appeal for release citing a "danger of obstructing justice". He remains a suspect, despite claiming to have no knowledge of the decision to install illegal emissions-cheating software in Audis and numerous other Volkswagen Group cars.

Schot, who was born in the Netherlands, was formerly president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz's Italian operations, before moving to the VW Group. His previous role was head of marketing and sales for the brand's commercial vehicle arm. 

VW Group CEO and Audi supervisory board chairman Herbert Diess said in a statement: "With the appointment of a new chairman of the board of management, we have laid important groundwork for Audi’s future orientation. As interim CEO, Bram Schot has already done a convincing job in recent months. He is pushing forward with the cultural change in his team and is effectively tackling the current challenges."

Also read: Audi CEO Rupert Stadler arrested in Dieselgate investigation