UPDATE 1-VW production chief to become Skoda chairman

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PRAGUE, July 10 (Reuters) - Skoda Auto, the Czech unit of German car maker Volkswagen AG , appointed VW brand production boss Reinhard Jung as chairman on Tuesday to replace outgoing Detlef Wittig.

Skoda said the 56-year old Jung will take over on Oct. 1 when Wittig will quit due to reaching the age of 65.

Wittig will however continue to serve at VW as an adviser on the group's sales.

Jung has worked at VW since 1974 and was appointed to the board of the Volkswagen brand in 2004.

Jochem Heizmann, who already serves as the head of production for the entire Volkswagen group, will take over from Jung at VW.

VW bought Skoda in 1991 and turned into the biggest success story of the post-Communist restructuring of Czech industry.

Wittig told Reuters in an interview last month the firm planned to raise output to around 800,000 cars in 2010 from 556,347 last year, mainly thanks to rising assembly and sales in in China, India and Russia.