Daimler boss’s ‘racist meltdown’ in Chinese car row causes outrage after German exec is NOT sacked
The German firm admitted Gaertner's actions were 'unbecoming' but insisted it was a 'private issue'
A TOP boss at car giant Daimler branded all Chinese “b******s” in a parking row in Beijing.
Rainer Gaertner is said to have had the racist rant at another motorist who confronted him when he grabbed a space.
Police were called after onlookers tried to calm the German executive who was driving a Mercedes and he pepper-sprayed them, according to local media.
He is said to have raged: “I’ve been in China one year already — the first thing I learned here is all you Chinese are b******s.”
Daimler, the German firm that owns Mercedes-Benz, later issued a statement that he had been “relieved” of his position as president and chief executive of its truck and bus division in China after the bust-up.
But he was not sacked — despite angry calls in China for a boycott of its vehicles.
He was removed from his job in China and now faces an investigation into his behaviour in Germany.
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The embarrassed firm admitted his actions were “unbecoming of a manager of our brand and prejudicial to our good name”.
But it insisted what happened was “a purely private issue, which has now been resolved in an amicable manner”.
The company stressed: “Such an incident reflects in no way the values of Daimler.
“We sincerely apologise for the concerns raised by this matter.”
There is no ongoing police investigation. Earlier this month, EU Commissioner and German politician Günther Oettinger apologised for using the phrase “slit eyes” to refer to Chinese people.