|
 Renschler, production chief at the Mercedes-Benz luxury-car
division, is leaving the company "for personal reasons" with
immediate effect, Daimler said in a statement.
He'll be replaced by Markus Schaefer, head of production planning at
Mercedes passenger cars who used to run the carmaker's Tuscaloosa,
Alabama-based plant and has over 20 years of experience in
car-assembly, Daimler said.
"I very much regret that he (Renschler) is leaving the company for
personal reasons," Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said,
noting Renschler's contribution to last year's launch of the
Mercedes flagship S-Class sedan.
Successor Schaefer's "broad knowledge of our production business and
international experience gathered from his positions in the United
States give him excellent qualifications for this job," the CEO
said.
A company spokesman said Renschler left for purely personal reasons,
ruling out that possible dissent on policies within the management
board or health-related matters played any role.
[to top of second column] |
Daimler narrowed a sales gap with its German premium-car rivals BMW
<BMWG.DE> and Volkswagen's <VOWG_p.DE> Audi last year, thanks to a
spate of redesigned compact vehicles. The Stuttgart-based
manufacturer dropped to third place in the luxury-sales race behind
Audi in 2011.
Renschler, who became Mercedes production chief last April after
running Daimler Trucks for more than eight years, had pledged to
carry on with the efficiency program initiated by his predecessor
Wolfgang Bernhard.
(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; editing by
David Evans)
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