Mercedes-AMG boss Michael Schiebe is leaving his role to lead Mercedes' production and quality divisions as part of a management shake-up brought about by the departure of technology boss Markus Schäfer.
Chief technology officer Schäfer will retire from the role at the end of his contract, ending a 30-year run at the Stuttgart firm. He will be replaced by Jörg Burzer, who is currently head of production, quality and supply chain management.
Burzer will be replaced, in turn, by Schiebe, who has run the Mercedes-AMG and 'Top-End Vehicle' divisions since March 2023, having joined the company in 2004.
A new boss for AMG will be announced "at a later date", Mercedes said.
The sporting division is entering a pivotal period of transformation as it electrifies its line-up and introduces a new range of entirely bespoke models – separate from the wider Mercedes line-up.
First will be a production version of the radical GT XX concept, inbound as an electric replacement for the V8-engined GT 4-Door, and it will be technically twinned with a 'super-SUV' Porsche Cayenne rival that's tipped to pack more than 1000bhp.
Schiebe's replacement will also be charged with reviving the success of the crucial C63 sports saloon and estate, after the introduction of a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain in 2022 prompted a drop in sales. A heavy facelift next year is set to introduce a new six-cylinder engine.
Meanwhile, Burzer will take technological leadership of a company that is instigating a step change in performance and functionality across its model line-up with the rollout of new vehicle platforms, drivetrain components, battery technologies and interior concepts.
Schäfer (below) was a vocal figurehead of this technical reinvention, recently telling Autocar he had "one of the most interesting jobs in the industry" – the scope of his role encompassing not just Mercedes cars, but also the High Performance Powertrains Formula 1 engine division.
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