much of that turnaround is due to mr zetsche , famous for his walrus moustache . he was not the first automotive executive to take on two jobs , but he has been one of the most successful with it , using his operational experience at mercedes to help him at daimler. mr zetche says that combining roles is essential for his management style . he is also keen to stress that mercedes has a team approach .
mr zetsche was hard from the outset , cuting 14,500 jobs - 8,500 in production and 6.000 administrative staff . that broke the pattern of mercedes providing a jobs for life to workers . but it had a dramatic effect on the bottom line . mr zetsche says : mercedes recent success is also linked to a big improvement in its product quality and the launch of some well - praised models , headed by the new c - class saloon .