In the business world, rivalry is often associated with respect, and when it comes to that, the German automakers have proven to be good sports over the years. To bid farewell to Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche, known as Dr. Z, BMW released a video congratulating him on his retirement.
In a clip distributed by BMW, a camera follows a Zetsche lookalike – complete with his signature mustache and funky glasses – around on his last day at work. The scenario sees Zetsche handing in his work badge at the front desk, bidding farewell to employees in the lobby, before being whisked back home by a chauffeured black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan.
After the car drops him off, Zetsche sneaks into the garage to pick up his well hidden BMW i8 sports. The caption: Free at Last.
The clip ends with a note of gratitude, saying “Thank you, Dieter Zetsche, for so many years of inspiring competition,” followed by the BMW emblem and the carmaker’s slogan: Sheer Driving Pleasure.
Zetsche is stepping down at the annual general meeting today, and will be succeeded by Ola Kaellenius.
Mercedes-Benz couldn’t exactly let this slide, so it came up with a cheeky response of its own, which it shared on Twitter.
Thanks @BMW for the kind suggestion – but we’re 100% sure he already decided to #switchtoEQ 😉 https://t.co/M6lYL1dmR2
— Mercedes-Benz (@MercedesBenz) May 22, 2019
Lets stop hating and fanwars aside. Appreciate the Germans for making an amazing cars!!!! <3
One of the funniest farewell vid I’ve ever seen. Why didn’t he choose Z4 instead?
cause i8 is bmw’s top tier model right now!
Looks like a hidden i8 roadster commercial with Dr. Z as special guest. Hehehe
God bless the competing german brands for all those witty ads.
I bet Dieter is still in the F1 pits a while longer.
The best or nothing is actually an i8, based on his choice after all, keeping in mind that the Eq has been created under… his magic stick. Basically, Merc itself is not doing the best or nothing. This will hurt fo’sure…
Also, let’s keep an eye wide open on electric vs hybrid options. Based on this marketing stunt, it looks like electrics ‘are still having some work to do’ to accomplish their job properly…