New Mercedes Head Confident for Future

Dieter Zetsche, the new head of DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes group and designated chairman for all of DaimlerChrysler, said he wanted to improve Mercedes' efficiency and productivity as a way of improving the company's car's quality and making them more attractive to customers. The 52-year-old chairman added DaimlerChrysler has brands that make the rest of the world jealous, and that he would not drop the Smart car line. Before he took over at Mercedes on Friday, car industry analysts recommened he let go of the money-losing two-door car and concentrate on the group's more profitable aspects. It's advice Zetsche has decided not to heed. "I am extremely confident that the way for the Mercedes Car Group is going to improve quickly, and I'm just as sure that the smart is going to improve with it," he said. "It is, however, clear that we have some hard work and difficult decisions ahead of us before we can bring the Mercedes car group back to where it belongs." Zetsche also thanked his predecessors Jürgen Hubbert and Eckhard Cordes for their work in starting Mercedes on the road to improvement.