DIETER ZETSCHE, A LEGACY.
There has been a change in leadership in the Mercedes company. Who was this man with a rather interesting mustache?
Who is Dieter Zetsche?
Dieter Zetsche was born in Istanbul in 1953 and trained to become an engineer in Germany and eventually got a doctorate in engineering in 1982 and also having become head of the DaimlerChrysler group in 2006, Zetsche had high hopes for the future.
Mercedes’ savior?
Since his arrival as head of Daimler AG, Mercedes have experienced exponential sale profits. The German manufacturer had been stuck in a downwards spiral of decreasing sales and customer satisfaction.
In the 90’s, Mercedes was undergoing a dreary decade of empty PR and not a lot going on despite some amazing things being powered by Mercedes engines came out of that era such as the McLaren Mercedes F1 car driven Mika Hakkinen who won the championship twice also the iconic Mercedes Sauber C9.
Furthermore the highly attritional competition with the luxurious manufacturer Lexus, saw the German Company take a huge fall from 2000-2006, many things were wrong with the Stuttgart based firm, one of which were that the cars produced in the 90’s weren’t exactly built to the highest of quality, shown by the rusting problem the cars had in South Africa.
But alas, there was light at the end of the tunnel for Mercedes. Dieter Zetsche had come to the German Brands rescue.He introduced various alterations to the Mercedes Benz company and has set the standard for the production of quality cars since his appointment as CEO, this coupled with record sales in 2015, meant that Zetsche’s contract was extended to 2019.
American celebrity?
On June 30th 2006, Chrysler announced that they would be launching a series of adverts with Dr Zetsche in them, posing as the character of DR Z. His most notable appearance in the American market was his ask Dr Z campaign where he answered questions on an online forum and ended the conversation with "Auf Wiedersehen" (Goodbye in German), the motive behind the campaign was to emphasis the link between American and German engineering. This is just another way Dr Zetsche will be remembered by many.
Zetsche posing for a photo during the filming of one of the episodes of Ask Dr Z.
What was his role in Motorsport?
Zetsche played a big part in Mercedes' F1 dominance.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has accredited most of the team’s success to Dr Zetsche. As he has endured the lowest of the lows with the racing team who only entered the sport in 2010 with Nico Rosberg and the legendary Michael Schumacher providing his expertise to the new team. In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Wolff said that Zetsche “deserves all the credit” for Mercedes’ success in F1. A strong statement by the Austrian team principal. Toto is 100% right however as Zetsche, along with many, built a foundation on which Mercedes have constructed a dominant car and is now the 5th most successful team in the history of the sport (regarding constructors championships). Zetsche has undoubtedly backed Mercedes through thick and thin throughout their F1 campaign.
Zetsche with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
What next for Mercedes?
On the 23rd May, Zetsche will step down from his current position as CEO. His successor, Ola Källenius, has been working in the research and development sector of Mercedes. What becomes of the historic manufacturer is yet to be discovered. Will Ola be able to continue this forwards momentum carried by Zetsche for over a decade, or will we see another period of decline for Mercedes?
Zetsche standing alongside his successor, Ola Källenius.
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Comments (2)
f1 domination for the next infinity years cos noone else can sort themselves out and more good cars innit
Let’s see 👀