Volkswagen AG has appointed Scott Keogh as CEO of the Volkswagen Group in the United States and head of the Volkswagen brand for North America. Keogh oversaw a doubling of sales at premium brand Audi under his leadership from 2012 until the "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal that set the company back in the region.

Keogh, from New York, will succeed Hinrich Woebcken who will continue at the company in an advisory role, the automaker announced Oct. 10. At Audi, Keogh will be replaced by Mark Rosso, CEO of Bentley Motors Inc., Americas, since last year. Rosso will be returning to the Volkswagen Group after previously serving as COO at Audi of America.

Keogh, who joined the group as Audi's chief marketing officer in 2006, is credited with doubling Audi sales and achieving record customer and dealer satisfaction, Volkswagen said in a press release, adding that he had previously worked for 12 years at Mercedes-Benz USA.

Woebcken, an industrial engineer, has headed Volkswagen in North America since January 2016, then as CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, and was praised by the company for putting the brand "back on track for success." The company has gone through a turbulent time in North America in the wake of its emissions scandal. Volkswagen has paid out or been obliged to pay between $25 billion and $30 billion in fines and compensation in the United States, according to media reports.