Pischetsrieder's plight; VW boss has plenty on his plate as rough year comes to a close.

Meiners, Jens; Stein, Jason

Byline: Jason Stein, Jens Meiners

Volkswagen group Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder can't find relief - despite some signs his company is turning the corner.

European sales are higher and a restructured VW has gained nearly 1 percentage point of market share, the largest increase in Europe this year. In addition, profits are up and VW has made progress working with its German labor unions.

But with four months to go until his contract comes up for renewal, Pischetsrieder is plagued by other problems.

Allegations of corporate corruption and sex scandals, combined with ...