Nissan said Wednesday that it had named Roland Krüger, a BMW executive, as head of its Infiniti luxury car division. The position was recently left vacant by the pending departure of Andy Palmer, a top Nissan manager who was temporarily substituting for the division’s chief, Johan de Nysschen, who left this summer.
Krüger, an engineer and designer at heart, has held various positions within BMW, from product manager, to head of regional marketing, to managing director Asia and President of BMW Group Germany.
“He brings unique leadership skills that will accelerate Infiniti’s progress in the global premium market,” said Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan, in a statement.
Mr. Krüger, a German national, has also worked for Mitsubishi Motors Europe and Daimler Group.
Nissan has been trying to turn around Infiniti, which has struggled in the global market against German luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, and the Japan-based Lexus.
Infiniti has been subject to considerable turnover in the executive suite. Mr. Palmer was overseeing Infiniti on an interim basis, after the departure of the division’s chief, Johan de Nysschen, this summer.
The appointment of Mr. Krüger adds another name to the auto maker’s list of multinational executives.
[Source: WSJ]
