<p>Carl Hahn, who headed the Volkswagen group during the German car giant's heyday in the 1980s, has died, a spokeswoman for the Carl and Marisa Hahn Foundation told <em>AFP </em>on Sunday.</p>.<p>Hahn died peacefully at his home in Wolfsburg on Saturday morning aged 96, Die Welt daily reported late Saturday.</p>.<p>As head of VW from 1982 to 1993, Hahn is credited with overseeing sweeping changes that helped catapult the company to international success.</p>.<p>The group took over Seat and Skoda under his watch and also began expanding into China -- now its most important market.</p>.<p>After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Hahn also took pains to ensure that Volkswagen expanded into East Germany and rebuilt the company's Zwickau plant, which today makes electric cars.</p>.<p>"With his sense for opportunities, timing and emerging markets, Hahn laid the foundations for Volkswagen's success," Die Welt said.</p>.<p>Hahn was born in 1926 in Chemnitz into a family of industrialists.</p>.<p>He studied economics in Germany, Switzerland and Britain before beginning his career with Fiat in Italy.</p>.<p>He first worked at cin North America and later completed a stint at tyre company Continental in Hanover before returning to the German group as chief executive.</p>
<p>Carl Hahn, who headed the Volkswagen group during the German car giant's heyday in the 1980s, has died, a spokeswoman for the Carl and Marisa Hahn Foundation told <em>AFP </em>on Sunday.</p>.<p>Hahn died peacefully at his home in Wolfsburg on Saturday morning aged 96, Die Welt daily reported late Saturday.</p>.<p>As head of VW from 1982 to 1993, Hahn is credited with overseeing sweeping changes that helped catapult the company to international success.</p>.<p>The group took over Seat and Skoda under his watch and also began expanding into China -- now its most important market.</p>.<p>After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Hahn also took pains to ensure that Volkswagen expanded into East Germany and rebuilt the company's Zwickau plant, which today makes electric cars.</p>.<p>"With his sense for opportunities, timing and emerging markets, Hahn laid the foundations for Volkswagen's success," Die Welt said.</p>.<p>Hahn was born in 1926 in Chemnitz into a family of industrialists.</p>.<p>He studied economics in Germany, Switzerland and Britain before beginning his career with Fiat in Italy.</p>.<p>He first worked at cin North America and later completed a stint at tyre company Continental in Hanover before returning to the German group as chief executive.</p>