, Columnist
BMW Wants a CEO Who Can Perform Miracles
Harald Krueger has his failings, but would the carmaker really be better served by a more aggressive or visionary chief executive?
Nobody has really mastered the trick of running a modern auto giant.
Photographer: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images EuropeThis article is for subscribers only.
Norbert Reithofer chose a good moment to step down as BMW’s chief executive (he’s now the supervisory board chairman, a less high-profile role).
When Reithofer made way for Harald Krueger in May 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hadn’t yet publicly accused Volkswagen AG of cheating on diesel emissions, which would imperil an entire technology. That same year Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the White House, setting him on a path that would ignite a global trade war, with German automakers a favorite whipping boy.