Smart Head Annette Winkler Abruptly Departs Daimler

AutoInformed.com on Smart and Daimler

Smart was arguably the first serious foray into urban vehicles in 1998 when it appeared at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Annette Winkler, 58, is leaving her position as head of Smart at Daimler AG. The exit for the 23-year veteran comes after eight years of her management of Smart on September 30, 2018. Daimler did not have an immediate replacement to head the tiny car brand.

Winkler and – struggling Smart – were (are?) part of Daimler’s confusing small car strategy and current rush to electric vehicle production. Smart lost billions of Euros for Daimler. Its only fit appeared to be as a foil against mileage and emissions regulations, allowing the owner of Mercedes Benz to continue to thrive selling gas guzzlers.

While Smart was arguably the first serious foray – back in 1998 when it appeared at the Frankfurt Motor Show – into what is now claimed by automakers to be a viable segment – urban vehicles. Attempts to expand the Smart line with a roadster and a larger compact car failed. “One of the key responsibilities of every executive is to pass on leading positions to the next generation at the right time,” claimed Winkler. “And that time has now come – with the clear focus of Smart as a fully electric urban-mobility brand and with the decision to develop the Hambach facility into a plant for fully electric vehicles within the Mercedes-Benz production network.

Winkler will continue to be associated with the Daimler Group. She will be appointed to the supervisory board of Mercedes-Benz South Africa effective September 1, 2019, where she will continue to contribute “her enthusiasm and great experience with employees and dealerships.”

“As a true entrepreneurial personality, she has led Smart to new successes and systematically transformed it into an electric mobility brand,” said Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler.  “Under Annette Winkler’s leadership, the smart plant in Hambach has continually improved its competitiveness and is extremely well positioned for the future.”

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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