May 21, 2015—The legendary German brand, Borgward, is about to attempt a relaunch of the brand that stopped making cars 54 years ago, and it will do so with Ulrich Walker at the helm.
Walker, who formerly headed China Operations for Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, is set to become CEO of Borgward. From 2004-2006, Walker was CEO of the Smart minicar division, and he integrated it into the Mercedes Car Group.
"Ulrich Walker has a profound industrial background and broad knowledge of the premium automotive segment in Germany,” Christian Borgward, chairman of Borgward Group, said in a statement.
"I'm honored to lead this respected German brand into the future," Walker says in a statement. "Borgward is a legendary global brand which has set industrial milestones and created brilliant stories in history."
From 1919 to 1961, Borgward made more than 1 million cars in Germany. The last exhibit was at the Geneva Motor Show in 1960. There is a lot of buzz around the return of the company which aims to build cars that amount to affordable luxury.
"Several of its innovations and classic cars have been widely acclaimed in the industry and I am confident that Borgward will win back its place in the international automotive industry," Walker said.
