Following the departure of patriarch Ferdinand Piech in April, who resigned after losing a showdown with Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn, former union boss Huber was meant to hold the role for only a few months, Bild am Sonntag reported.

But one candidate, Wolfgang Porsche, who already sits on the supervisory board, has said he is not available for role, Bild said without citing its sources.

The paper said Porsche's nephew, Ferdinand Oliver Porsche, is also a candidate, as is Winterkorn.

Volkswagen declined to comment on the article.

Separately, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Saturday that works council boss Bernd Osterloh felt he was better off staying as part of the works council, rather than taking up a position on the carmaker's executive board, as had been under discussion.

(Reporting by Victoria Bryan and Andreas Cremer; Editing by Mark Potter)