The man behind the success of Mercedes-Benz has stepped down as CEO as agreed back in late September 2018. Don’t worry, he won’t be away from Daimler AG for long. Regulations dictate that he will need to enter a 2 year ‘cooling off’ period before taking up his new role as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
Summary of Accomplishments
Without a doubt, Dr. Dieter Zetsche was an immensely impactful man. Under his guidance, he the toxic Daimler Chrysler partnership was smoothly dissolved. He was also responsible for bringing Mercedes-Benz to the top in China following poor sales there in the early 2010s. By 2017, Mercedes-Benz took back the crown from BMW as the largest premium carmaker.
How BMW Paid Tribute
BMW have taken to congratulating and thanking him for the competition in a pretty hilarious way. Watch the video here:
“It’s the last day as CEO of Mercedes Benz and the long deserved retirement of Dieter Zetsche lies ahead. To the applause of numerous employees, he takes off his company ID, says his goodbyes and leaves the company for the very last time. This could all be a very sad day, wouldn’t it be for the one thing waiting at home. The future of e-mobility is taking shape. The BMW i8 Roadster reveals itself futuristic in every detail and gives you the freedom to go anywhere.”
Reportedly, the man in the video (at least in some parts) is merely an impersonator. They did a pretty good job though!
The long-standing rivalry between Daimler (parent company of Mercedes-Benz) and BMW is known throughout the automotive industry and beyond. Good to see there’s still a deep and underlying respect between these two giants.
Who replaces Dr Zee?
Daimler’s new CEO, Ola Kallenius takes over with many big responsibilities and challenges ahead of him. In his speech, Dr. Zetsche named a few of the company’s hurdles.
Sales figures are lagging behind this year by nearly 30% compared to previous ‘record years’ and the damage that was done during Dieselgate still needs to be cleaned up. Daimler also has cost-cutting measures planned, which might make Kallenius immediately unpopular if too many jobs are slashed in his first few months.
