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Daimler names Bernd Pischetsrieder to supervisory board

Some executives in the automotive industry stay with one company for their entire careers, while others bounce from one to the other, often leaving their indelible mark on each automaker at which they serve. Bob Lutz is certainly an example of the latter. So is Lee Iacocca, having presided over Ford and later charing the Chrysler board. Carlos Tavares was chief operating officer of Renault before being nominated as chief executive at PSA Peugeot Citroën. But as far as the Germans go, nobody's jumped from the leadership of one automaker to the next quite like Bernd Pischetsrieder - especially now that he's been named to the supervisory board of Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler.
An engineer by training, Pischetsrieder started his career at BMW in 1973, eventually rising to the office of CEO after twenty years. There he remained until 1999, only to be dismissed after orchestrating BMW's takeover of the Rover Group (of which only the Mini brand remains in the company's portfolio, the other brands having been sold off after his dismissal).
The next year he was named chairman of Volkswagen's Seat brand, and rose to the chairmanship of the entire Volkswagen Group two years later. Despite a largely successful four-year tenure (that gave birth, incidentally, to the Bugatti Veyron), disagreements with supervisory board chairman Ferdinand Piëch saw him leave the helm at VW AG, focusing his attention on the Scania truck division. He's since been touted as a potential chief executive for Opel and for Continental, but neither potential was apparently realized.

Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet fetches record $1.4 million at auction

Alas, G-Wagen fans: The last available 2017 Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet has sold to a private Belgian buyer, with all proceeds to benefit the children's sports charity the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The price tag at the Zoute Sale at Bonhams was a record ˆ1.2 million, or about $1.4 million. We previously dubbed the luxury off-roader " the ultimate safari machine" for its super-extravagant features. Its soft top can be raised or lowered electronically, as can a glass partition to the driver's compartment (wouldn't be a Landaulet without that, now would it, Jeeves?). What's more, the two rear seats can be fully reclined, with leg rests extending from below, and with access to folding tables, 10-inch LCD screen and heated, cooled and illuminated (!) cup holders. As it has the number 650 in its name, however, the Landaulet also features a twin-turbocharged V12 that generates 630 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Bringing up the G-Wagen part of the bargain is a four-wheel-drive system with front, center, and rear differential locks, that sends power to solid portal axles front and rear, which move the differential and drive axles above the wheel centers for additional ground clearance. The grandest G sold Friday in Brussels was reportedly straight from the factory and one of only 99 to be built. No G650 Landaulets were sold in the United States. The Bonhams Motoring Department's fifth annual Zoute Sale also saw the purchase of a 1968 Ferrari 365 GTC Coupe for ˆ805,000 euros ($945,000), the second most-valuable lot of the sale. Related Video:

Mercedes, Renault-Nissan to work together on truck project

Just a few weeks ago, Mercedes-Benz barged into the automotive world with news of a pickup as a mysterious but enticing future model from the German brand. Rumors of a possible collaboration with Nissan followed, but Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn refused to give any clear details. That speculation is now over, because the automakers made their truck partnership official. This new information reveals that the Mercedes truck won't be a full in-house creation from Daimler. For example, the pickup will share some of its underpinnings with the latest Nissan NP300 Navara. The German company's engineers, however, will work to change the design to their liking. Also, as in the rendering, Mercedes will use a double-cab body for the model. "Thanks to our well-established partnership with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, we are able to drastically reduce the time and cost to enter this key segment." Daimler Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche said in the company's release. Nissan will play a further major role in the project by helping Renault develop a pickup based on the Navara as well. By 2020, all three trucks will be built together in Cordoba, Argentina, for Latin American markets and in Barcelona, Spain, for other parts of the world. Mercedes will target both regular customers and commercial buyers with its truck. While still not officially slated for North America, there's a chance that the Mercedes truck might be sold here. The US arm of the company reportedly has until the end of the year to decide to offer it with some added luxury-oriented upgrades compared to the rest of the world. Daimler & Renault-Nissan Alliance expand cooperation to 1-ton pickup trucks April 07, 2015 Daimler & Renault-Nissan Alliance expand cooperation to 1-ton pickup trucks Nissan and Daimler to jointly develop midsize pickup truck Mercedes-Benz pickup to share some of the architecture with the all-new Nissan NP300 Mercedes-Benz vehicle to be engineered and designed by Daimler to meet specific needs of its customers Mercedes-Benz pickup will target Europe, Australia, South Africa and Latin America Pickup trucks to be built in Barcelona, Spain, and Cordoba, Argentina Latest milestone in the five-year strategic cooperation between Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance STUTTGART/PARIS/YOKOHAMA –The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler AG will expand their five-year strategic cooperation into the pickup truck segment.