Daimler Greater China said late Monday that the investigation into an executive who allegedly insulted the Chinese people has been finished, and the employee has been removed from his position.
Rainer Gaertner, CEO of Daimler Trucks and Buses China, got into an argument with a Chinese resident over a parking spot on Sunday in Shunyi in northeastern Beijing, according to a report on domestic news portal sohu.com. "I am in China one year already. The first thing I learned here is that all you Chinese are bastards," the story reported Gaertner as saying.
After hearing what Gaertner said, people nearby approached him to argue with him, but Gaertner pulled out some pepper spray and attacked them, the report said. One person was injured.
The company said in a statement to the Global Times late on Monday that the dispute was an entirely personal incident. The relevant departments have finished their inquiry into the incident, and the parties involved have reached a settlement after private consultation, it said.
"The nature of the dispute and in particular the manner in which it was conducted, irrespective of any comments alleged to have been made, is adjudged to be not only of concern to the public but viewed by us as detrimental to the standing of our company, unbecoming of a manager of our brand and prejudicial to our good name," the statement said. "Therefore, we have immediately relieved the manager of his position."
Shunyi police told the Global Times on Monday that there was no information about the case to be shared with the public.
Gaertner could not be reached by the Global Times on Monday as of press time.
Gaertner has been the CEO of Daimler's Chinese business unit for more than a year, according to his LinkedIn profile. Previously, he was based in Seoul, South Korea, as CEO of Daimler Trucks Korea.
A 30-year-old resident in Beijing surnamed Long, who bought a Mercedes-Benz GLK300 crossover sport utility vehicle in May 2014, said an employee's personal behavior should not affect a company's operations.
"It's an individual case, which should not affect the brand, but this guy should be punished for insulting the Chinese people," he told the Global Times.
A friend of the person injured in the incident said in an online post that this type of foreigner is earning money in China while insulting the Chinese people, and they hate China from the bottom of their hearts.
