DaimlerChrysler AG's representative to its partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will take over the presidency of the Japanese carmaker from Takashi Sonobe, MMC sources said Tuesday.
Rolf Eckrodt, 59, who has served as chief operating officer at MMC since January 2001, will succeed Sonobe following the move's approval at an MMC shareholders' meeting in late June, the sources said.
Sonobe, 61, is expected to become chairman at the firm, they said.
Sonobe said he will present a management proposal to an extraordinary board meeting today. The proposal is aimed at ensuring the swift implementation of the company's restructuring plans, he said in a news release.
MMC had asked DaimlerChrysler to dispatch a president to the firm when the two launched a capital alliance in the car business in 2000, the sources said.
The two companies expanded their ties to include the truck business in 2001.
Eckrodt's planned promotion has fueled hopes that MMC will boost its restructuring efforts under DaimlerChrysler's leadership.
In his post at MMC, Eckrodt, a German citizen, has been at the forefront of the firm's efforts to revive sales that had plunged in the wake of a defect-coverup scandal.
DaimlerChrysler is now the top shareholder in MMC with a 37.3 percent stake.
