On Wednesday, German automaker Volkswagen AG (VW) announced the sudden departure of its top executive in the US --- Michael Horn, the President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.

The departure of Horn, 54, from VW comes six months after the automaker admitted that it had equipped nearly 580,000 diesel vehicles in the US with 'defeat device' software to enable the vehicles to cheat US emissions standards.

With regard to Horn's decision to step down, VW said that Horn - who took over as the company's President and CEO in the US in
2014 - is leaving the company to "to pursue other opportunities effective immediately." VW also said that Horn's departure from the company is a result of a mutual agreement.

With Horn stepping down with immediate effect, his responsibilities will be taken up on an interim basis, by ex-BMW executive Hinrich J. Woebcken, who has previously been the head of global purchasing, among other jobs. In January this year, VW had named Woebcken as the head of the company's North American region, effective April 1, 2016.

Meanwhile, in reference to Horn's departure from VW, Dennis Gaudet - a VW dealer in New Hampshire - said that Horn was "probably the most popular (head) we've had as long as I've been a dealer;" and also alongside that Horn's knowledge of the US market was "better than most."