Arch-rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz have a close competition going on – just six deliveries separate them in this year’s sales race – but unusually both brands have simultaneously announced local leadership changes.
In press releases both dated July 14, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have confirmed new Australian bosses.
Vikram Pawah is returning to the position of CEO of BMW Group Australia from September 1, 2025, having previously held the role between 2018 and 2020 and more recently served as head of BMW Group India – where, BMW notes, he presided over “consistent year-on-year [sales] increases”.
He takes over from Wolfgang Buechel, who has been promoted to vice president and head of Mini Global Sales, where he’ll be responsible for developing and executing Mini’s global sales strategy.
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ABOVE: Vikram Pawah (left) and Wolfgang Buechel (right)
Mr Buechel served as BMW Group Australia CEO for five years, and leaves after leading BMW to reclaim its position, after 11 years, as the leading premium automotive brand in Australia in 2023.
It remained ahead of Mercedes-Benz in 2024 – 26,341 versus 24,831 deliveries, the latter including the three-pointed star brand’s van division – and sits ahead of it so far this year.
It’s a tighter race this year, with BMW sitting at 13,712 deliveries against 13,706 for Mercedes-Benz.
At the same time, the CEO and managing director of Mercedes-Benz Australia-Pacific, Jamie Cohen, is stepping down from his role after just over a year.
ABOVE: Homero Becerra Gonzalez (left) and Jaime Cohen (right)
He’s being succeeded by Homero Becerra Gonzalez, who assumes the role on November 1, 2025. Mr Cohen will work closely with Mr Becerra Gonzalez before departing the company on December 31, 2025.
Mr Becerra Gonzalez has an extensive background in finance, having headed up Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Iberia since earlier this year, serving in this role while simultaneously being managing director of Mercedes-Benz fleet and mobility subsidiary Athlon Iberia since 2021.
He also has previously served as the head of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services in Italy.
He takes over from Mr Cohen, who joined the Australia/Pacific division in April 2024, following a five-year tenure as the CEO and managing director of Mercedes-Benz Mexico. The outgoing local boss has more than 35 years of experience within the Mercedes-Benz Group.
“Under his leadership, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific achieved sustained sales and market share growth in a challenging and dynamic geopolitical environment, including a steady rise in the share of electric vehicle deliveries,” the company said in its release announcing the change.
Mr Cohen joined after Mercedes-Benz moved to an agency sales model in Australia for its Cars division, which resulted in a sales downturn.
The agency move saw Mercedes-Benz take ownership of dealership stock, and remove the ability for customers and dealership staff to negotiate on prices – a change that saw dealers sue the brand over what it called inadequate compensation.
The Federal Court ruled against the dealers, and this month dismissed an appeal made against its ruling.
Deliveries of vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Cars fell from 28,348 in 2021 to 26,801 in 2022, before dropping again in 2023 to 24,315, and then 19,989 in 2024.
But there’s light at the end of the tunnel, it would appear, with deliveries in the first half of 2025 up 15.9 per cent on the same period last year to 11,146 in total – Mercedes-Benz’s best first-half of a year since 2023.
BMW is well ahead of Mercedes-Benz in terms of electric vehicles (EVs), however.
To the end of June, BMW has delivered 3090 EVs so far this year, while Mercedes-Benz has delivered 1581 – a figure that also includes EVs from its Mercedes-Benz Vans division.