Paul G. Hahnemann
Paul G. Hahnemann (31 October 1912 in Strasbourg – 23 January 1997 in Munich) sometimes known as "Nischen-Paule", was a leading director at BMW between 1961 and 1972.
Early years
After the end of the First World War (which was followed by the transfer of Strasbourg, where the family had been living, to France), Hahnemann's mother fled, with her two sons across the Rhine, to Kehl, now on Germany's western frontier. He successfully completed his Abitur (final exam programme) at the "Kant-Oberrealschule", now the "Kant Gymnsium" (senior school) in Karlsruhe, a short distance to the north.
BMW years
At the end of 1960 Hahnemann was recruited from Auto Union by Herbert Quandt,[1] [2]BMW's largest shareholder, and is believed by some to have had more influence over the business than the Managing Director Karl-Heinz Sonne or his successor Gerhard Wilcke during the 1960s, but his tenure failed to survive the arrival of a third Managing Director in the form of Eberhard von Kuenheim and he left following a difference of opinion over how fast to increase capacity at the company's newly acquired Dingolfing facility.[3]
Hahnemann was a brilliant if sometimes subversive salesman who oversaw the introduction in 1961 of the BMW 1500.[3] Whether the car created a new 'niche', or merely exploited the niche created by the departure of the Borgward Isabella, its commercial success transformed BMW from a marginal manufacturer with an uncertain future into one of Europe's most consistently profitable auto-makers.
Sources and further reading
- ↑ Uwe Jean Heuser & Dietmar H. Lamparter (26 November 2010). "Konzern im Spagat: Vor 50 Jahren stand BMW vor dem Aus – und wurde in letzter Minute gerettet. Können die Bayern künftig allein weitermachen?: ....."Quandt holt den Topmanager Paul Hahnemann von der Auto-Union. Hahnemann schenkt BMW die Idee von der Nische: Zwischen VW unten, Opel und Ford in der Mitte und Daimler oben ist noch Platz für sportliche Limousinen von BMW. Und die Bayern schaffen den Aufstieg. Die Motoren werden stärker, die Autos hochwertiger – BMW bringt eine »neue Klasse« auf den Markt."". ZEIT ONLINE. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ↑ "Bayerns Gloria:..."Auf Quandts Empfehlung bestellte der Aufsichtsrat - neben Dr. Sonne als Generaldirektor - zum Verkaufschef Paul G. Hahnemann, 52, vorher Marketing-Leiter der Auto Union."". SPIEGEL-ONLINE. 17 February 1965. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
- 1 2 "Continental Diary: BMW look to the future without Hahnemann". The Motor. nbr 3624: 29–31. 8 January 1972.
