Alex Hitzinger
Alexander Hitzinger | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 23, 1971 Passau, Germany |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, executive |
| Known for | CEO of ARTEMIS GmbH, Senior Vice President for Autonomous Driving at VW Group, Technical Director for Porsche LMP1, Head of Advanced Technologies at Red Bull and Toro Rosso F1 teams, F1 development at Cosworth |
Alexander Hitzinger (born 23 October 1971 in Passau) is a German engineer who served as CEO of ARTEMIS GmbH, an automotive start-up, until May 2021. Before this role, he held the position of Senior Vice President for Autonomous Driving at the VW Group and was an Executive Board Member at VWN, where he managed research and development. His career also includes leading product design for Apple's Titan electric vehicle initiative, acting as Technical Director for Porsche's LMP1 program, heading Advanced Technologies for the Red Bull and Toro Rosso Formula One teams, and overseeing F1 development at Cosworth.
Early life and education
Hitzinger was born in Passau, Germany, where he cultivated a passion for motorsports from a young age. He pursued mechanical engineering studies at the University of Applied Sciences Landshut and later obtained an MBA from Warwick Business School, part of the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.
Career
His professional journey in the automotive sector started at Toyota Motorsport as a development engineer. Subsequently, he joined Cosworth alongside World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz when Sainz transitioned from Toyota to Ford. At Cosworth, Hitzinger led the Ford-Cosworth World Rally Championship project and eventually became Head of F1 Development. By 2005, at just 34 years old, he was recognized as one of the youngest chief engineers within Formula One.
In 2006, under his guidance, Cosworth engineered the first Formula One engine—the Cosworth CA 2.4 L V8—to achieve 20,000 rpm during competition, establishing a new standard in the industry despite operating with limited resources.
Between 2006 and 2011, Hitzinger served as Head of Advanced Technologies at Red Bull Technology and held the position of Technical Director for Scuderia Toro Rosso during the 2006–2007 seasons.
In 2011, he took on the role of Technical Director for Porsche's LMP1 program. After Porsche's triumph at Le Mans in 2015 with the 919 model, he departed in March 2016 to lead product design for Apple's Titan electric vehicle project.
Hitzinger joined Volkswagen in January 2019 as an Executive Board Member responsible for technical development in commercial vehicles and Senior Vice President overseeing autonomous driving and mobility-as-a-service initiatives. His proficiency in clean-sheet design and project leadership resulted in his appointment as CEO of ARTEMIS GmbH—a Volkswagen subsidiary dedicated to cutting-edge electric vehicle development—in November 2020. He relinquished this position in May 2021.