Dieter Zetsche leaves the Detroit automotive scene one of the most admired and sought-after top executives in many years. The 52-year-old CEO-designate of DaimlerChrysler has been so successful in turning around DC's Chrysler Group that each of the other two members of the U.S. Big Three have reportedly tried to hire him as CEO or COO. But he has opted twice to pursue his lengthy career at DaimlerChrysler, the fifth largest automaker. In so doing, Zetsche will couple his accession to the top position at DC on January 1 with assumption on September 1 of leadership of DC's Mercedes-Benz car group. Zetsche, an affable holder of a Ph.D. in engineering, who is called "Dr. Zetsche" on occasion, has implanted quite a mark in the global auto industry.

As Zetsche turned over the presidency of the prestigious Detroit Economic Club August 22 to his counterpart at Ford, William Clay Ford, Jr., a riveting report appeared in the September 5 edition of Forbes Magazine about the pair - Bill Ford offered Zetsche the "reins" at Ford in the spring of 2003, only to be rebuffed. That report followed up an early August report to the effect that the same offer had been presented to Zetsche in the spring of this year by General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner. It's no surprise that both GM and Ford are struggling under their current CEOs to regain lost market shares and profitability in North America. Who better to take charge at either company but Chrysler Group rescuer Dieter Zetsche, who is winding up a successful six-year reign there?

Neither GM nor Ford have commented on the Zetsche recruitment reports, but knowledgeable executives of major Tier One suppliers were buzzing about the GM bid at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich., earlier this month. Asked about the Forbes report of the Ford offer, a senior executive of one of the largest suppliers said he had heard that Bill Ford also approached Nissan/Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, 51, in 2004 but was turned down because of Ghosn's "commitment" to tackle the two simultaneous CEO positions.

When DaimlerChrysler's board heard of GM's offer, it hastily decided to accelerate the retirement of CEO Juergen Schrempp and choose Zetsche as his successor, lest GM (or Ford) make him an offer. It was this prospect that induced DC's board and Schrempp to speed up a top-level change not scheduled until 2008, German media have reported. "Dieter and Carlos are two of the best automaker leaders ever," said the supplier executive. "Who wouldn't give anything to have either one captaining the ship?"