Capito Rejoins VW to Lead “R” Performance Team

Volkswagen AG has hired motorsports veteran Jost Capito to head the carmaker’s R performance program. He also will run Volkswagen Zubehor, the carmaker’s in-house accessories division.

This will be Capito’s second stint at VW. He led the company’s World Rally Championship team until assuming the reins of McLaren Automotive Ltd.’s Formula One racing team about a year ago.

Capito started his 30-plus-year career at BMW and also has worked for Porsche, Ford and the Sauber Petronas and Sauber Red Bull F1 teams. At Ford, Capito led the development of the high-output F-150 Raptor pickup truck and RS and ST performance variants of the Focus small car as part of the carmaker’s SVT unit.

VW’s R lineup currently is limited to a high-performance variant of the company’s Golf midsize car. But R versions of the Touareg and new T-Roc compact crossover also are said to be in the works.