New leadership at Mercedes India

Peter Honegg has been succeeded by Eberhard Kern as CEO and Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz India. The takeover happened in the presence of Matthias Lührs, Chairman of Board of Directors, Mercedes-Benz India.

 On the occasion, Lührs said, “Heartiest welcome to Eberhard Kern as the new Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India. Kern is a veteran at Daimler, having spent three decades with the company. His assignments across Asia, other global markets as well as at Headquarters make him well-positioned for this exciting role. Mercedes-Benz India rests on strong foundations and Peter Honegg has reinforced the brand saliency in India; Eberhard Kern will now take the initiatives forward. We have high expectations from the Indian market and are bullish about our presence in this country.”

On taking over the new position, Kern said, “I inherit a very strong organization in this market where Mercedes-Benz is held in highest esteem. Our production facility is one of the best in the Mercedes-Benz world; our product line-up is exciting and holds tremendous potential. The New Generation Cars from the Mercedes stable will, in my opinion, play a pivotal role and our wide network of dealers are poised to support the growth. In short, the fundamentals are strong and we look forward to sustained profitable growth in the next years.”

On his stint with Mercedes, Honegg reiterated, “I have had a short but memorable experience in India. It is a colorful land with warm and friendly people and of course extremely well informed and demanding customers. However, I am happy that I am leaving the company in very able hands of a veteran - Eberhard Kern - who has seen almost as much of Daimler, as I have at a far lesser age. We started quite a few initiatives that have given dividends, and I am sure they will be further sharpened under leadership of Eberhard Kern."