Porsche Cars North America has a new chief following the reshuffle of senior managers at many Volkswagen Group brands as a result of the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal. The new chief is Klaus Zellmer, who takes over from Detlev von Platen on November 1, 2015.
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Meanwhile, von Platen will head to Porsche’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, to run the automaker’s global sales and marketing team. He takes over from Bernhard Maier, who is being promoted to the top job at Skoda.
Zellmer, whose background is in business administration, is currently in charge of overseas and emerging markets for Porsche. His current responsibilities see him oversee sales at Porsche subsidiaries in Australia, Japan and Korea, as well as at regional offices in Asia-Pacific, South America, the Middle East and Africa. Previously, from 2010 until early 2015, he was in charge of Porsche in Germany.
He has some big shoes to fill at Porsche Cars North America. His predecessor, von Platen, has been in charge in North America since 2008. Under his leadership North America remained the most important market for Porsche worldwide, with sales in the United States alone nearly doubling from 26,000 units in recession year 2008 to a record-setting 47,000 units last year. This year, the sales tally is expected to be even higher.
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“I have known Klaus Zellmer for many years and am very pleased to have a seasoned sales and marketing expert succeed me as head of Porsche Cars North America,” von Platen said in a statement. “His track record and can-do attitude make him a perfect fit for our U.S. sales organization.
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