It sounds like the rumors are true: departed Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn's seat will be filled by Porsche CEO Matthias Muller, The Wall Street Journal reports. [Update: it's official. VW statement announcing Muller's appointment below]

Muller replaces Winterkorn as the latter departs the auto giant where he's been CEO since 2007 amid a growing diesel emissions scandal. WSJ hears from an unnamed source that members of Volkswagen's supervisory board expect further personnel changes after a full board meeting on Friday.

Muller, who became CEO of Porsche in 2010, has presided over an era of remarkable growth for the storied performance brand. Perhaps more importantly, he is a close confidant to the Porsche and Piech families, who control much of Volkswagen Group.

Meanwhile, the diesel dilemma grows. Volkswagen was forced to admit that the EPA-cheating software was included in as many as 11 million vehicles worldwide, far outstripping initial estimates that put the number at somewhere fewer than a half-million vehicles in the U.S. alone. The scrutiny now extends to other automakers: a German car magazine reports finding that a diesel-powered Euro-spec BMW also emits many times more smog-forming pollutants than is legally allowed.

This clearly isn't the last of the changes at Volkswagen, which has already set aside $14 billion to settle the issue and offered financial assistance to dealers that can no longer sell TDI models.

Update, 9/25/15: It's official. Here's the full statement from Volkswagen:

Matthias Müller (62) has been appointed CEO of Volkswagen AG with immediate effect. This was decided by the Supervisory Board at its meeting in Wolfsburg today (Friday). Müller is currently Chairman of Porsche AG in Stuttgart. He will continue in this function until a successor has been found.

The interim Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, Berthold Huber, underscored: "Matthias Müller is a person of great strategic, entrepreneurial and social competence. He knows the Group and its brands well and can immediately engage in his new task with full energy. We expressly value his critical and constructive approach."

Bernd Osterloh, Chairman of the Group Works Council, commented: "When it comes to leadership appointments the Volkswagen Group does not need hasty decisions. We know and value Matthias Müller for his determination and decisiveness. He does not work on his own, rather he is a team player. That is what Volkswagen needs now."

Matthias Müller said: "My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry. If we manage to achieve that then the Volkswagen Group with its innovative strength, its strong brands and above all its competent and highly motivated team has the opportunity to emerge from this crisis stronger than before."

Matthias Müller was born in Chemnitz (Saxony) on June 9, 1953. He completed his high school education in Ingolstadt followed by an apprenticeship as a toolmaker with AUDI AG. He then studied computer science at Munich University of Applied Sciences. After obtaining his master's degree in computer science, Müller resumed his career with AUDI AG in Ingolstadt in 1978, becoming Head of the Systems Analysis Division in 1984 and Head of Project Management for the Audi A3 in 1993. He assumed responsibility for Product Management at Audi AG, SEAT and Lamborghini in 1995.

Müller moved to Wolfsburg as Head of Product Management of the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen brand in 2007 and also became a General Representative of the Volkswagen Group. He has been Chairman of the Executive Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG and a member of the Executive Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE since 2010. In his function as Chairman of the Executive Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Müller was appointed member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG effective March 1, 2015.

Matthias Müller's current contract as a Board member of Volkswagen AG will continue to apply in his new function as CEO. This contract runs until the end of February 2020. Matthias Müller succeeds Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, who offered his resignation on Wednesday.

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