Ferdinand Piech has resigned as chairman of Volkswagen after going public in a row with his chief executive, Martin Winterkorn – a one-time ally. <br /><br /> Machavellian machinations or a much needed change in the future direction for one of the world’s most successful car makers? <br /><br /> “The mutual trust that is needed for successful cooperation no longer exists,” the company’s supervisory board’s statement said.<br /><br /> The Austrian could have been born with petrol in his blood. His uncle and cousin, Ferdinand and Ferry Porsche founded and grew the high-performance sports car company. It was there Piech started his career.<br /><br /> He was also involved in Formula One and developed engines for several Porsche’s before leaving to join Audi. In 1993 he moved to Volkswagen. The company was three weeks from bankruptcy. <br /><br /> He and his cousin Wolfgang Porsche are the main shareholders controlling 51 percent of the voting stock.<br /><br /> “Now everyone is caught in a power vacuum and in the coming years a new power structu
