Photo: Daimler
Expect to see a drop in Mercedes-Benz sales in China over the next few months, and as hard as it may be to believe, the whole blame falls on just one man. Who, ironically, doesn't even have anything to do with the passenger car division.
His name is Rainer Gaertner, and he's as German as they come. He is president and CEO at Daimler Trucks & Buses China Ltd., which means he's living far away from home, in Beijing, China. Adapting to a new culture, especially one that's very different from your own (it's not as if he works in Austria or Switzerland), takes time, and some do it better than others.
It's hard to say how well Mr. Gaertner's accommodation process was going until now, but after his recent outburst, it's pretty clear there were lots of frustrations brewing under the surface. It is a known fact that driving brings out the worst in some people, and fighting over a parking space is a classic example of road rage.
It would appear that Mr. Gaertner got into a quarrel with a Chinese driver at a residential community in the Shunyi District in northeastern Beijing. The details are not available, but China.org.cn says some very harsh words were spoken and there was even a bit of pepper spray involved.
The latter probably came after the passerbies joined in to support the Chinese driver. Their reaction, though, is perfectly explainable considering what the Daimler CEO said to them just moments earlier: "I am in China one year already. The first thing I learned here is: All you Chinese are bastards!"
Well, since then Daimler has already expressed its regrets over the incident and pointed out that his words do not reflect the company's views in any way whatsoever. If you ask us, we think the best course of action would be to find Mr. Gaertner a new position elsewhere, because he has already come under fire on Chinese social media, with some people threatening to boycott Daimler products.
Considering the new direction the world politics are taking, Mr. Gaertner should have no problem finding a position for himself. A man with his views and outspokenness would be a valuable addition to certain presidencies.
It's hard to say how well Mr. Gaertner's accommodation process was going until now, but after his recent outburst, it's pretty clear there were lots of frustrations brewing under the surface. It is a known fact that driving brings out the worst in some people, and fighting over a parking space is a classic example of road rage.
It would appear that Mr. Gaertner got into a quarrel with a Chinese driver at a residential community in the Shunyi District in northeastern Beijing. The details are not available, but China.org.cn says some very harsh words were spoken and there was even a bit of pepper spray involved.
The latter probably came after the passerbies joined in to support the Chinese driver. Their reaction, though, is perfectly explainable considering what the Daimler CEO said to them just moments earlier: "I am in China one year already. The first thing I learned here is: All you Chinese are bastards!"
Well, since then Daimler has already expressed its regrets over the incident and pointed out that his words do not reflect the company's views in any way whatsoever. If you ask us, we think the best course of action would be to find Mr. Gaertner a new position elsewhere, because he has already come under fire on Chinese social media, with some people threatening to boycott Daimler products.
Considering the new direction the world politics are taking, Mr. Gaertner should have no problem finding a position for himself. A man with his views and outspokenness would be a valuable addition to certain presidencies.
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