An L.A. premiere for BMW's heir apparent
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Harald Krueger, the guy BMW insiders are betting will be the company's next CEO, turned up at the Los Angeles Auto Show in his new capacity as head of Mini, Rolls-Royce and aftersales.
CEO Norbert Reithofer will likely retire in 2016 when he turns 60. Krueger, 47, is the only member of BMW's management board under 50.
In a board shuffling last April, Krueger was shifted from head of human resources to some of the duties previously handled by Ian Robertson, 54, head of sales and marketing.
Krueger, a German who speaks excellent English, ran Mini's press conference in Los Angeles -- his first major event in the United States.
He told Automotive News that his new board role reflected a fairly typical rotation of responsibilities at BMW.
"We are prepared for the next step of growth," Krueger said, beaming from ear to ear as he responded to the question of whether he is next in line.
