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Pretoria - Ford Motor Company has announced the appointment of Casper Kruger as managing director of Ford Sub-Saharan Africa region, effective 1 April, 2017.
He will assume the position of managing director when current president and CEO Jeff Nemeth takes up his new position at Ford USA as part of his planned return to the US on July 1.
Kuga saga
Nemeth is overseeing the company through a tense period following reports that numerous Kuga 1.6-litre Ecoboost SUVs caught fire in South Africa.
A recall of 4556 models was announced in January 2017 and the company has suffered negative public feedback for not handling the situation better.
New man at the helm
Kruger will join Ford's Southern Africa leadership team and assist in overseeing Ford's business operations in Sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa and Southern Africa.
Jacques Brent, president of Ford Middle East and Africa said: "Casper's extensive experience and expertise in sales and marketing, together with his deep experience in working closely with dealers and their customers, will be a great asset in strengthening our retail business in the region with the exceptional range of current products we offer, bolstered by the addition of several exciting new models in the coming years.
SA car sales: #FordKuga sales slump by 50% in January"Having already spent two years at Ford, from 2007 to 2009, Casper is well placed to integrate seamlessly into the team and lead the company forward into a new era of growth and opportunity."
During his time at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA), Kruger was national sales manager and general manager for the Ford brand.
Kruger's background
Kruger is the outgoing vice president of Vehicle Sales and Dealer Network at Toyota South Africa, a position he held from 2014, after previously heading up Toyota's Hino truck division as vice president for a period of five years. From 1996 to 2006, he served in several sales and marketing positions at Toyota. This was preceded by a five-year stint as a lecturer and senior lecturer in marketing at the University of South Africa (UNISA).
Jeff Nemeth will be overseeing the transition period and will be returning to the United States with his family in June 2017 following the completion of his son's school year in South Africa.