- Adam Chamberlain, the chief of operations for automotive retailer Lithia & Driveway, will take over as CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA from July. The German premium model is within the technique of reshuffling its management crew in key markets following the current appointment of latest world gross sales boss Mathias Geisen.
Mercedes-Benz is poaching the chief of operations of Lithia & Driveway, one of many largest U.S. automotive retailers, to run its nationwide gross sales firm in America.
Efficient July 1, Adam Chamberlain takes over from Dimitris Psillakis, present CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. He’ll lead MBUSA’s greater than 1,600 staff and over 380 supplier companions all through the USA, reporting to Jason Hoff, the new head of the group’s North American arm.
The transfer comes as Mercedes’ world gross sales and advertising and marketing chief Mathias Geisen reshuffles administration in his division after taking the reins in March from Britta Seeger, who turned head of human assets after eight years operating gross sales.
The German premium model has fallen badly behind archival BMW of late. On a bunch degree, they each offered 2.4 million autos final 12 months, however the Mercedes model solely managed just a little beneath 2 million with out its van enterprise in comparison with BMW model’s 2.2 million automobiles. Worse, Mercedes’ all-electric autos have offered poorly, declining 23% to 185,059 autos in 2024, whereas BMW offered twice as many for a 12% improve.
“Adam is a confirmed govt with over 30 years of worldwide automotive expertise together with the previous 9 years within the U.S.,” stated Mercedes gross sales boss Geisen. “He brings an distinctive mix of strategic and operational excellence in each the producer and retail companies in addition to a powerful connection to our crew, sellers and prospects.”
Between 2016 and 2021, Chamberlain served at Mercedes-Benz USA as vp of gross sales and product administration, serving to to steer the model’s retail and product technique within the U.S. market.
MBUSA is liable for the model’s second-largest market after China, representing about 16% of general annual volumes. Excluding its industrial transport vans, Mercedes offered over 324,500 passenger automobiles led by the GLE crossover in-built Alabama.
‘The start of a brand new chapter in our long-standing partnership with Mercedes-Benz’
“We’re extremely grateful for Adam’s management as our Chief Working Officer and the worth he dropped at Lithia & Driveway,” stated Bryan DeBoer, president and CEO of the corporate, in a assertion on Tuesday. “His contributions have helped strengthen our operations, sharpen our choices and buyer consciousness, drive development and advance our technique.”
DeBoer stated Chamberlain may additionally stay a beneficial ally going ahead because the U.S. automotive retail panorama continues to shift. Within the extremely fragmented car-dealer market, Lithia & Driveways is without doubt one of the largest by showrooms and autos offered.
“That is the start of a brand new chapter in our long-standing partnership with Mercedes-Benz,” the Lithia boss stated, “and Adam stays dedicated to our shared success.”
One main development affecting sellers is that automakers are experimenting with direct gross sales. A lot of different manufacturers, primarily startups like Rivian, need to comply with Tesla and finish restrictions that legally bar them from bypassing sellers to promote new automobiles to shoppers.
Whereas a structurally decrease margin enterprise, proudly owning the shopper relationship gives carmakers to mine retail information extra simply and facilitates the sale of upgrades and varied over companies after the precise car sale. It will possibly additionally bind prospects extra carefully to the model and enhance loyalty when performed properly.
Mercedes has fastidiously explored this method in choose abroad markets, however not in the USA up to now.
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
