BMW Pokes Fun at Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche's Retirement with Audacious Farewell Video

From Car and Driver

• Mercedes-Benz's CEO, Dieter Zetsche (popularly known as Dr. Z), is retiring from his post today-and Benz archrival BMW has something to say about it.

• BMW released a video about Zetsche's retirement, supposing-in jest, of course-that the long-serving leader of Daimler will finally be free to drive a BMW i8 roadster now that he's finished his tenure at Mercedes-Benz.

• Mercedes-Benz quickly answered back on Twitter, plugging its own electric EQ subbrand.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are showing they have a sense of humor with a bit of playful back-and-forth on the occasion of Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche's retirement. To say farewell to Zetsche, known affectionately as Dr. Z, BMW released a video congratulating him on his retirement.

It all starts quietly, showing scenes of Zetsche (or, rather, a lookalike) exiting the headquarters for the last time, turning in his badge, and being chauffeured back home in a Mercedes-Benz S-class while he glances at the giant three-pointed-star logo in the Stuttgart skyline. Once the chauffeur departs, though, things take a shocking turn as faux Zetsche opens his garage to first reveal an older Mercedes (which we believe to be a 220 model from the late 1950s) and then-gasp!-a BMW i8 roadster in an eye-catching orange hue.

Mercedes-Benz couldn't exactly let this lie, so it came up with a cheeky response of its own, which it shared on Twitter. Naturally, the Benz people slipped in a bit of marketing, referencing the company's new electric EQ subbrand that's meant to go head to head with BMW's i models.

This isn't the first time Mercedes and BMW have had a little bit of fun at each other's expense. When BMW celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016, Mercedes (itself founded in 1886) invited all BMW AG employees to come visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum so they could see "the complete history of the automobile." We can't wait to see what shenanigans these two get into next.

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