DaimlerChrysler names new sales chief for Germany

Reuters / FRANKFURT -- DaimlerChrysler today named the head of its Rhine-Ruhr area dealership, Peter Alexander Trettin, to head group sales and marketing operations in Germany from the start of 2007.

Trettin, 48, succeeds Christoph Koepke, 58, who is retiring. Koepke held the German job since January 2005 and was in charge of marketing the Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Smart and Maybach brands in Europe's biggest automotive market.

Sales in Germany by the premium Mercedes Car Group division -- which includes Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach -- fell 12.1 percent in October and were down 5.3 percent in the first 10 months of 2006 to 281,800 units in an overall market up 1 percent so far this year.