FRANKFURT, March 27 (Reuters) - Volkswagen said Frank Fischer will leave his post as head of its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to take a job at its factory in Emden, Germany, as part of a broader reshuffle among plant managers.
The move is the latest management switch by the German car maker as it seeks to revive its fortunes in the United States, where Volkswagen has so far failed to meet aggressive sales targets.
In December Volkswagen's U.S. Chief Executive Jonathan Browning left the company and was replaced by Michael Horn.
Volkswagen said on Thursday that Christian Koch, currently at Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH in Germany, will take over as head of the Chattanooga plant from April onward.
Fischer was part of VW's management team which helped set up the Chattanooga plant in 2008, taking over as plant manager there in 2010, where he emerged as a protagonist for an "American-style" works council.
Jens Herrmann, currently plant manager in Emden, has been named plant manager and head of vehicle production at Volkswagen's headquarters in Wolfsburg, the company said.
Chattanooga's new chief holds a degree in mechanical engineering and has held overseas positions before.
In 2004, Koch established a joint venture in Shanghai for the local production of an inline 4-cylinder petrol engine.
This was followed by further senior management posts in China, including his appointment as President of the Chengdu Branch of FAW-Volkswagen in 2010, Volkswagen said. (Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)