I know I know.

I cannot believe it either. There are a bunch of news pieces on it to read. I shouldn't have to waste my breath talking about the excellent Autoextremist article...

Yet the two "Juergens" remain... The benevolent board keeps them on...

Bernhard actually likes cars too! He gets into his new job and they do this to him.

What am I not understanding here?

I thought that intelligent and hard-working people get rewarded not let go...

What the hell has happened to the company that used to make cars "engineered like no other car in the world."

How did these "Juergens" get into the positions they hold... These are not car people

-Mike McKinney

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1989 300CE - 269,000 km
1994 SL600 - 59,000 km

"Follow the/show me the Deutchmarks"

Bottom Liner(s)

What are you talking about? !! Wolfgang was *promoted* to the Supervisory Board of Directors.. the Vorstand... of DaimlerChrysler. That's a position way, way beyond what he had as President and COO of Chrysler, or for that matter, Managing Director of Mercedes Benz.

Juergen Hubbert is almost 65. He won't last forever. Juergen Schremp might as well be a shrimp because his international strategy, at least with Mitsubishi, is toast. Yes, the board is benevolent in keeping him on. After all, Schremp and three others offered their resignation.

I take exception to the comment that Juergen Hubbert is not a "car" person. He was the guy that suggested Mercedes buy AMG. He oversaw Mercedes' truimph at Le Mans. He helped launch the DTM series and Mercedes has won that series a gazillion times. He is the Chairman of the Formula One constructor's committee. He oversaw and approved the McLaren Mercedes SLR project. He managed Mercedes' two-time Formula One World Championship seasons with Hakkinen. He almost won last year with Raikkonen. He brought back the Maybach line.

I'm not a betting man, but Wolfgang did a spectacular job at Chrysler, and if you ask me, he may very well succeed Juergen Schremp as Chairman and CEO of DaimlerChrysler next year, at 45 years old! Now that would be spectacular.

Hubbert must retire, per company policy, at 65. Bernhard was supposed to be his replacement. Bernhard was dropped because his style rankled the unions, which sit on the board. His style is similar to Bob Lutz; he likes to be the center of attention. In the US we see that as a strength; in Europe is is a liability. By the way, Shrempp is an engineer, not an accountant. Anyone who thinks Daimler-Benz or Mercedes-Benz was some sort of "engineer controlled" company in the past needs to read Bernard Bellon's book, Mercedes in Peace and War. This sort of politics has played at the top since the very early 1900's. We M-B old timers used to quote "engineered like no other" as a joke when something on those '80s and 90's (the period in which the advertising slogan was used) cars broke.

Still doesn't account for Wolfgang being made a member of the Vorstand. As far as I am concerned, only the Chairman's job is more senior. He does not have to be the President of Mercedes Benz (which I think is an engineer's job) to influence the direction of Mercedes Benz. As an MBA-type, Wolfgang would be better served as a senior executive than an operating executive (which is really what the MB President's job is.. essentially a high-up lackey).

My information doesn't indicate that he is staying with M-B or DCX. He is being badied about as a successor to Bob Lutz at GM. See the following from www.thecarconnection.com.

"Bernhard is expected to leave the company, though statements from the supervisory board left open the possibility he could be given another post. He has been a protege of Schrempp's. Daimler officials and Bernhard's lawyers were, said sources, negotiating an exit from the automaker that would allow him to work for another automaker."

I'm sorry. I was wrong. Sorry again for my bad info.

I had a chance to read the Autoextremist article and the Autoweek article and from what I can tell Mercedes doesn't want to change anything. I get the impression that the board of directors is happy with the way things are going and they are oblivious to reality especially in the US market.

The not so funny thing about what's happening at MB is that it's happening with nearly every German manufucturer I can think of. I currently work in Industrial Equipment Sales and our company represents three German manufacturers that were known for their quality and service. I can assure you that the quality USED to be top notch but no longer. Their engineering is lacking even more and its because their once top employees have been alienated to reduce costs. A friend of mine worked for Sylvania and experience the same thing and finally quit telling them he was sick of being overworked. I have a feeling the Germans are or already have lost their good product reputation.

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