Ernst Lieb Ousted

[Shining Star]

Ernst Lieb has been removed from his post as CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA after five years in the position.
He will be succeeded "until further notice" by Herbert Werner, the U.S. subsidiary's CFO and vice president for finance and information technology, Mercedes said in a statement today.
Mercedes canceled this week's national dealer meeting -- the Mercedes Benz Dealer Business Forum -- scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago.
Lieb, a 56-year-old German, had held the position since September 2006. Before that, he was head of DaimlerChrysler Australia/Pacific and previously served as CEO of Mercedes Canada.
The United States is Mercedes' second-biggest market behind Germany.
Luxury battle
Mercedes is battling its German rivals for the titles of top-selling luxury brand in the United States and the world.
Mercedes' U.S. sales are up 7 percent this year to 170,058 units, behind BMW with sales of 177,679. The Mercedes figures exclude sales of the Sprinter van.
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus brand, which has been the luxury sales leader for the past 11 years, has fallen behind with sales of 135,647, largely because of inventory shortages caused by the March earthquake in Japan.
Like other luxury automakers under pressure to meet tougher government fuel economy rules and changing consumer preferences, Mercedes is gearing up to add volume and enter new segments. A new family of front-wheel-drive compact cars arrives in 2013.
The brand wants to expand into segments below its E and S-class large vehicles to target younger buyers.
Last month, Mercedes launched its first C-class coupe to challenge the BMW 3 series' domination of the luxury compact market. Lieb was a strong proponent of the project, saying Mercedes needed more C class derivatives to better compete with its arch rival.
Mercedes plans to introduce at least 10 new models by 2020 to reclaim the title of world's top-selling luxury brand.
Werner background
Werner, also 56, was appointed as vice president and CFO, finance, controlling, and IT for Mercedes-Benz USA in February 2009, the company said. He oversees finance and controlling, risk management, treasury, payroll, procurement, IT, and taxes for the U.S. unit. According to his biography, Werner has worked in the Daimler organization for over two decades, most of it in various management and leadership positions in Germany.
BMW, with 2011 global sales of 1.02 million through September, leads Audi, with sales of 973,200, and Mercedes, with year-to-date sales of 919,288 worldwide.
Under Lieb's leadership, about 300 of Mercedes' 355 U.S. dealerships have spent a combined $1.4 billion since 2008 to comply with the automaker's Autohaus design standard.
Earlier this year, Mercedes opened a revamped and company-owned Mercedes-Benz Manhattan dealership in New York City at a cost of $220 million.
Lieb was a driving force behind the project, saying Mercedes needed a powerful presence in New York. He said the automaker needed to build a new Manhattan store to the Autohaus standards that other dealers were asked to meet.
The automaker also just signed a 10-year agreement for the naming rights to the Louisiana Superdome for a reported $50 million to $60 million.
Lieb was on hand for the Oct. 4 announcement in New Orleans and it marked one of his last public appearances.

autonews

 

[HighestOfHigh]

Oh that is sad. I would hate to lose "that" job.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Hmmm I wonder why. Maybe he was kicking and screaming about having to sell the A and B in the USA..... ;-) (Yes this is a little jibe at KA and Merc1 lol)

 

[NarutoRamen]

I love how getting fired is completely different for executives. The lil guy gets fired and collect your paycheck and GTFO. CEO gets fired, here are millions and have a nice life.

 

[K-A]

Hmmm I wonder why. Maybe he was kicking and screaming about having to sell the A and B in the USA..... ;-) (Yes this is a little jibe at KA and Merc1 lol)

Lol, IF that's the case, then I'm upset that he's gone.

I don't know what he did or didn't do, but I will say that MBUSA is really upsetting, in how they handle the M-B brand, compared to M-B Europe. They're cutting variational aspects, kind of treating lots of models like "Fleet Cars" IMO, seemingly having no care about allowing for differentiation for respective models (all come with Sport, we don't get Avantgarde, etc., all of them look the same on the roads, etc. Much different in Europe, where inside and out, there's more variety, and FYI, it wasn't always like this, it's just getting worse, the W211 for example had 3 specifications, while the W212 has practically 1... technically 2, but there is rarely inventory of the "Luxury" model).

Also, the drastic price slashing is unbecoming of the brand. Who knows why this happens, or if Lieb had anything to do with it, or was for it or against it, but I think that MBUSA could pick up the ball in terms of treating the M-B brand with more perceived passion, rather than volume.

 

[Kowalski]

I paid a visit to the MBUSA website and I was shocked to see how much they ask for an S350 Bluetec.

 

[Wolfgang]

Mercedes-Benz US CEO Removed On Compliance Breach

FRANKFURT - (Dow Jones) - Former Mercedes-Benz USA chief executive Ernst Lieb has been accused of serious and repeated breaches of compliance rules while in charge of the car maker, German newspaper Handelsblatt reports Wednesday, citing an executive from Mercedes owner Daimler AG.

Ernst Lieb, who was appointed as Mercedes's U.S. chief executive in 2006, was Monday "relieved of his duties, effective immediately," without explanation.

Mercedes-Benz US CEO Removed On Compliance Breach | Fox Business

 

[Merc1]

Really silly things for a person in his position to be doing, after you've been warned about it. So stupid.

M

 

[K-A]

What does "Compliance Breach" basically insinuate?

 

[Merc1]

Read the link K/A. In short too many favors for his buddies.


M

 

[K-A]

I wish I was (were) his buddy then!

 

[Kowalski]

The fat bastard really had it coming.

 

[K-A]

Maybe that's why MBUSA has to resort to embarrassing price slashing to make profits.

 

[Wolfgang]

Marcus Breitschwerdt is needed in Great Britain, I think. Mike Slater might be a good choice?



Five candidates touted as Mercedes' new U.S. chief

A hot search is underway to find the next head of the brand's U.S. operations to replace Ernst Lieb, who was fired in October amid a crackdown on ethics violations at the company.

The U.S. is Mercedes' second biggest single market after Germany so Lieb's successor needs to be picked quickly. And the new boss must continue to have a strong and close relationship with the brand's U.S. dealers - just like Lieb.

Five names are being touted at Mercedes' global headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Here they are in alphabetical order:

• Marcus Breitschwerdt, former Mercedes-Benz Canada CEO, who moved to head Mercedes in the U.K. in April. Under Breitschwerdt's leadership Mercedes-Benz Canada more than doubled its sales and market share from 2003 to 2010 but Mercedes bosses may not want to tear him from his UK role so soon. He joined the carmaker in 1991 and has held various senior roles in marketing, planning and sales, including director of marketing strategy for Mercedes-Benz Cars.

• Wolf-Dieter Kurz, CEO of Daimler's Turkish subsidiary since 2009. Kurz joined Mercedes in 1989 and has held various positions in sales and marketing, aftersales and parts, project and product management. Between 2004 and 2009 he was head of marketing for Mercedes passenger vehicles.

• Matthias Luehrs, head of sales for Mercedes's passenger cars. He is close to Mercedes global sales and marketing chief Joachim Schmidt and earlier worked as managing director of Mercedes Cars for the Australia/Pacific region and as CEO of Mercedes-Benz Latina.

• Philipp Schiemer, head of marketing at Mercedes passenger cars, also one of Schmidt's confidants, who has held leadership roles in project management and sales in markets like Brasil.

• Michael Slater, head of Mercedes sales in the U.S. He has no experience in leading a big market, but company insiders say it might be the smart option to promote him because he is familiar with Lieb's masterplan for the U.S. market and already has close contact to dealers.

Theoretically, a hot candidate should be Klaus Maier, CEO of Mercedes-Benz China (not the Klaus Maier who was Mercedes former head of global sales and marketing and left the company in 2009). "But we won't tear a hole in China to fill one in the U.S.," a Daimler source told Automotive News Europe.

A less likely, but still possible option: Somebody from within finance, similar to Daimler's appointment of Till Conrad as its France boss in January.

It's delicate decision. Whoever accepts the new challenge won't be available to succeed Schmidt, who will most probably retire in two or three years.

Five candidates touted as Mercedes' new U.S. chief

 

[Wolfgang]

Congratulations Mr. Cannon! Well deserved.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Stephen Cannon Named President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA

MONTVALE, N.J., Dec. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Daimler Board of Management has appointed Stephen Cannon (50) as the new president and CEO for Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) effective January 1, 2012. He replaces Ernst Lieb who left the company in October. The announcement was made by Dr. Joachim Schmidt, executive vice president of sales & marketing for Mercedes-Benz Cars in Stuttgart, Germany, to whom Cannon will report.

In his new role, Cannon will have overall responsibility for the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Sprinter and smart brands in the United States. He will lead MBUSA's more than 1,700 employees and 356 dealers throughout the U.S.

Cannon's most recent post was vice president of marketing for MBUSA with overall responsibility for marketing communications, market research and product management of the Mercedes-Benz and Maybach brands in the U.S.

Cannon began his automotive career in 1991 as executive assistant to the president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz of North America (predecessor to MBUSA). From there, Cannon moved to Stuttgart and joined a small team tasked with the development, manufacturing and launch of the M-Class, the first Mercedes-Benz SUV ever made in and for this market.

In the interim, before returning to Mercedes-Benz here in the U.S., Cannon served as director of marketing for debis Financial Services (later Daimler Financial Services) and then held key positions in retail and e-business consultancies. He also served as principal for The Richards Group, one of the largest independent full-service advertising agencies in the U.S. before joining MBUSA in his current position.

Cannon has a bachelor of science degree in economics from the United States Military Academy at West Point where he graduated with honors. He is a United States Army Airborne Ranger and served as 1st Lieutenant in West Germany during the fall of the Iron Curtain. Cannon and his family live in Connecticut.

About Mercedes-Benz USA

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. MBUSA offers drivers the most diverse line-up in the luxury segment with 12 model lines ranging from the sporty C-Class to the flagship S-Class sedans and the SLS AMG supercar.

MBUSA is also responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer service of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans, and smart products in the U.S. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found at Mercedes-Benz Luxury Cars: Explore, Build & Compare Sedans, SUVs, Coupes, Wagons and The 2012 Sprinter Van. Built to Work Smarter. . For full bios and photos visit the MBUSA Media Site, Mercedes-Benz USA | Online Newsroom .

SOURCE Mercedes-Benz USA