UK: Mercedes chief knows of at least five candidates to replace him

DaimlerChrysler‘s Mercedes Car Group head Juergen Hubbert reportedly said on Wednesday that he knows of at least five strong candidates to replace him at the wheel of Daimler’s prestigious luxury unit.

According to Reuters, when asked by journalists who the company’s top three choices were, Hubbert said, “I know of at least five.” He reportedly declined to comment further on the issue, though.

Speaking at the McLaren plant in Woking, UK, Hubbert also addressed the issue of efficiency at Mercedes now that cost-killer Wolfgang Bernhard was essentially fired as head of Mercedes just days before he would have started his new job, Reuters said.

“I think there are a lot of opportunities to cut costs on our side, and that’s something that we have to discuss with our unions,” Hubbert reportedly said.