Ferdinand Dudenhöffer is considered the “car pope” in Germany, a very strange title. The emeritus business administration professor regularly explains in interviews on television or in newspapers what he thinks will happen next for the important automotive industry and domestic manufacturers. In addition, the one he co-founded “Center Automotive Research” in Duisburg – memorably abbreviated as Car – congresses and publishes studies. But the car and the 72-year-old have now separated, in an argument.
His consulting contract, which expires at the end of the year, will not be renewed, according to a statement from Car. However, Dudenhöffer will “for now” remain a minority owner of the Duisburg consulting company D+S Automotive, which is behind the research institute. The majority of the shares belong to D+S managing director Jan Wortberg. He used to be a research assistant at Dudenhöffer’s chair and now thanks him in the message “very, very warmly for the many years of inspiring collaboration.”
Dudenhöffer is not quoted in the communication, which in itself suggests an inharmonious divergence. The opinionated economist has also prepared himself well for life after Car: He founded his own consulting company called Ferdi Research GmbH in Bochum, where he lives. They run the website car-institute.com, and this “Car Institute” already advertises on the site for congresses, which will be held soon. This means that the new “Car Institute” is in direct competition with the “Center Automotive Research” – a conference organizer in which Dudenhöffer continues to hold shares.
Car boss Wortberg told the SZ that the reason for the separation was “different opinions about the future direction of Car and the associated further structuring of Mr. Dudenhöffer’s consulting contract.” The industry expert sometimes acted “almost free-floating” and pursued ideas that seemed unrealistic to him – Wortberg – as managing director and were therefore not implemented. Wortberg calls it “strange” that Dudenhöffer founded his own company with a similar business purpose while he was still under his current consulting contract.
This isn’t the first time Dudenhöffer has changed lanes
When asked, the person being scolded said that it was his right to organize his own congresses in the future. However, Wortberg does not want to see any danger for Car in this: All researchers and industry experts have remained at the previous institute.
It is not the first time that Dudenhöffer has relocated his activities to a new institute or another location. He established the car in 2000 at what was then Gelsenkirchen University of Applied Sciences and took it with him to Duisburg in 2009 when he moved to the university there. Dudenhöffer left this university in 2020 for reasons of age – and due to strife. He then re-founded the car outside of the university. The university in turn named its institute to “Motion”. and made it broader. Now it’s time for the busy car pope to change lanes again.