Daimler creates board role to gain ground on Audi

Daimler AG, the world's third-largest maker of luxury vehicles, has appointed Hubertus Troska to its management board to revive sales growth in China as it loses ground to Volkswagen AG's Audi.

Troska, 52, currently head of Daimler's Mercedes trucks unit, will take over the new position on Thursday, becoming Daimler's eighth board member, the Stuttgart carmaker said on Wednesday in a statement.

"With the decision to establish a board of management position specifically for this market, we are underscoring the strategic importance of China," Chairman Manfred Bischoff said.