BMW pays sassy tribute to Mercedes CEO on retirement

Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche retires today. On the occasion, BMW created a video as a tongue-in-cheek ode..

To begin with, it looks like an emotional ad meant to pay tribute to the outgoing CEO of Mercedes Benz – Dieter Zetsche. But only when the viewer watches it till the end, do they understand what it really is.

It’s hard to miss the tongue-in-cheek dig that BMW is taking at its biggest competitor. The actor in the film bears close resemblance to the Zetsche, with his stature and the shape of his mustache. The ad flashes the words ‘free at last’ and has a shot of the actor who plays Zetsche, pulling out of his garage in a BMW i8 Roadster. Towards the end of the ad, BMW thanks Zetsche for giving them many years of inspiring competition.

Zetsche is no stranger to being in front of the camera. When Daimler and Chrysler merged in 1988, he starred in three commercials that saw him answer customer questions about the merger and the quality of the vehicles. Zetsche is better known by his nickname Dr. Z and he will be succeeded by Ola Kaellenius.