Porsche Cars North America has appointed a new president and CEO to succeed Klaus Zellmer as head of the Atlanta-based unit.
Kjell Gruner, 53, will take up the post Nov. 1, leaving his positions as chief marketing officer and global vice president for marketing for the storied Stuttgart sports car manufacturer.
Mr. Zellmer, meanwhile, will leave after five years at the helm to join the join board of management for Volkswagen Passenger Cars with responsibility for sales, marketing and after sales back in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Detlev von Platen, who himself led PCNA for seven years in Atlanta and now serves as a member of the executive board, praised Mr. Zellmer for his contributions to the brand’s growth in the U.S.
“We sincerely thank Klaus for the outstanding performance he’s led in the North American market, with successive years of growth and the innovative programs to support customers and dealers that he has initiated. We wish him every success in his new role,” Mr. von Platen said.
He similarly played up Mr. Gruner, who had a role in launching the company’s new electric model, the Taycan.
Mr. Gruner joined Porsche in 1999 after working with Boston Consulting Group, left in 2004 for a stint as director of strategy for Mercedes-Benz at Daimler AG, then returned in 2010 to Porsche.
He also served as managing director at Porsche Smart Mobility GmbH, the unit that manages subscription, partial ownership, on-demand rental, car-sharing and other future-facing models of automobile ownership.
That experience could be vital in the U.S. Porsche launched its Passport (now Porsche Drive) vehicle subscription service here in 2017 and accelerated the deployment of its online sales portal during the coronavirus pandemic.
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