Ulrich Selzer
Was only appointed head of Opel in Germany in February 2019.
(Photo: Opel press photo)
Munich Three things are for Opel-Boss Michael Lohscheller crucial in sales: customer satisfaction, Market share and profit. “If you can’t do that, you’re not in the right position,” the manager told Handelsblatt in the middle of last year, explaining why he had been all 15 managing directors since taking office in 2017 Opel in Europe exchanged. Lohscheller announced at the time that sales figures would develop “very successfully” in more and more markets.
For the home market Germany this explicitly does not apply. In 2019, Opel sold only around 216,000 vehicles in Germany. This corresponds to a minus of 5.3 percent compared to the previous year. BBusiness was particularly bad in December, While all other German car brands saw growth, Opel had to cope with a decline of 28 percent.
A culprit was quickly identified at the company headquarters in Rüsselsheim: Ulrich Selzer. The head of Opel in Germany is rid of his post after only ten months, said Opel on Friday.
The 55-year-old sales expert came from the competitor in April 2019 Volkswagen to the Rhine in order to boost the starving sales at Opel again. The graduate in business administration clearly failed because of this, Lohscheller now pulled the ripcord, it is said in unison in corporate circles.
Selzer is praised in the best PR German and should in future take on “strategic tasks” in the area of internationalization at Opel. A siding. Andreas Marx will succeed Selzer on February 1.
Andreas Marx
Replaces Ulrich Selzer as head of Germany.
(Photo: Opel press photo)
The 49-year-old is currently leading the international product and price management of the traditional brand and is seen by many as a logical candidate internally. After all, Marx learned sales at Opel from scratch and knows all dealers very well. However, there are also critical voices regarding the filling of positions. “With Marx, we won’t grow to heaven either,” says management circles.