11:46 am, December 7, 2023
Mercedes’ UK boss Gary Savage is to retire next summer after 14 years with the German brand.
Savage, who joined Mercedes-Benz Cars in 2010, has been the UK CEO since 2014 but will step down at the end of June 2024.
His replacement, Olivier Reppert, will begin work on March 1 and oversee a four month transition period before Savage departs.
Among Savage’s biggest legacies will be leading Mercedes’ switch to agency sales, which he insisted is what dealers wanted.
He told Car Dealer back in June that the brand’s swap to haggle-free agency sales was working well and refuted allegations the model is about driving profits rather than supporting customers.
Reacting to the news of his retirement Karl Schregle, head of region Europe, Mercedes-Benz AG, said: ‘Under Gary’s leadership Mercedes-Benz in the UK has gone from strength to strength over the past 14 years.
‘Gary’s insightful, collaborative approach, partnering with our network, along with his positive leadership of the UK team, enabled us to successfully launch Agency (Model D) in the UK in January 2023.
‘On a personal note, I have always valued the different perspectives that Gary brings to the business.
‘I would like to thank him for his tireless efforts, outstanding contribution and excellent results and wish him a very happy and healthy retirement.’
Savage’s replacement, Reppert, began his career at DaimlerChrysler as an aftersales product manager in 1998 before moving to DC Overseas in Stuttgart to be a manager for aftersales marketing.
From October 2016 he served as the CEO of Car2go and since February 2019 has been the CEO of car rental firm, Share Now.
