Porsche has appointed Oliver Blume as its new chairman, taking over from the outgoing Matthias Muller, who has moved to lead a crisis-hit Volkswagen Group.

Blume, 47, has been in charge of production and logistics for Porsche since the start of 2013. Blume's appointment is intended to provide continuity to Porsche in the wake of Muller's move, which was unexpected until the Volkswagen scandal exploded.

Uwe Huck, chairman of the Group Works Council of Porsche, said, "Ever since 2010, Matthias Muller has been the driving force for great advances at Porsche. He embodies our Porsche DNA. We are not happy to see him go. But his successor is a Porsche person through and through. I think that appointing a production person to the top position is a strong statement. I am certain that Oliver Blume is the right choice for successfully continuing and further developing what we have built up together with Matthias Muller. If we want to follow through on our planned projects and assure our future, we need continuity."

One of Blume's main tasks will be to oversee a major revamp of Porsche's production facilities. A new engine plant and a new body manufacturing plant will be built at the company's main business site, and the assembly line in Zuffenhausen will also be extended.