Chairman Piech's grip on Volkswagen weakened by row with CEO

BERLIN/HAMBURG (Reuters) - Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piechs iron grip on the German carmaker has been severely weakened following a dramatic confrontation with senior board members last week that nearly resulted in a push to oust him, sources told Reuters. Piech, patriarch of the family that founded Volkswagen and a dominant figure at the automaker for more than two decades, triggered a leadership crisis at the Wolfsburg-based firm by criticizing Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn in a magazine article earlier this month. After an emergency meeting in Salzburg last Thursday to resolve the row, a group of six senior board members, including Piech, gave their full backing to Winterkorn and agreed to propose an extension of his contract beyond 2016. more