BMW CEO Zipse to lead ACEA next year

Brussels, 7 December 2020 – Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW Group, will lead the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) next year.
Mr Zipse was appointed President of the association during a meeting of its Board of Directors, composed of the CEOs of Europe’s car, van, truck and bus manufacturers. As of January, he will take over the ACEA presidency from Michael Manley, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).
“2021 will be a pivotal year for the EU auto industry in the transition to sustainable mobility,” said Mr Zipse. “This aspiration comes against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit the global economy and our sector hard. However, we are convinced of the need to join forces across industries and with political leaders to achieve the greatest impact in fighting climate change. All parties involved need to contribute to this overarching goal of reducing emissions. An urgent task is the EU-wide rollout of charging infrastructure to ensure everyday usability of electric vehicles for customers in all member states. In addition, we need to utilise the latest innovations across the full range of drivetrain technologies to meet all customers’ demands.”
The ACEA President is elected for a year-long term, which can be renewed once.
2021 will be a pivotal year for the EU auto industry in the transition to sustainable mobility.
Notes for editors
About Oliver Zipse
- Born in Heidelberg, Oliver Zipse is Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, having been appointed in 2019.
- Since he joined BMW in 1991, he has held various responsibilities within the company in development, technical planning and production.
- He was Managing Director of BMW Group Plant Oxford from 2007 to 2008, Senior Vice President Technical Planning until 2012 and Senior Vice President Global Corporate Planning and Product Strategy until 2015.
- In May 2015, he was appointed to the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for worldwide production.
- Oliver Zipse holds a degree (Dipl Ing) from the Technical University of Darmstadt and an Executive MBA from the WHU Koblenz and Kellogg School of Management.
- He is Deputy Chair of the Senate of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
About ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 14 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
- Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.
Contact:
- Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47
- Ben Kennard, Content Editor and Press Manager, bk@acea.auto, +32 487 39 21 82
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About the EU automobile industry
- 12.9 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
- 8.3% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
- €392.2 billion in tax revenue for European governments
- €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
- Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
- €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total