Jürgen Hubbert (24 July 1939 – 12 January 2021) was a German mechanical engineer and executive. A member of Mercedes-Benz's Board of Management, he helped oversee the production of several

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

road cars and played a significant role in Mercedes-Benz's involvement in motorsport.

Life and career

Hubbert was born in 1939 and studied at the

University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart () is a research university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized into 10 faculties. It is one of the oldest technical universities in Germany with programs in civil, mechanical, ind ...

, graduating in 1965 with a degree in engineering. In the same year, he joined what was then

Daimler-Benz AG Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler, and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive company headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacturers. Daimler-Be ...

, where he worked in the process development department of the

Sindelfingen Sindelfingen ( Swabian: ''Sendlfenga'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg in south Germany. It lies near Stuttgart at the headwaters of the Schwippe (a tributary of the river Würm), and is home to a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant. The current mayor ...

plant in various technical and planning functions. He oversaw the introduction of the various

road cars, including the A-Class, the M-Class, the CLK-Class, and the

smart ''SMart'' was a British CBBC television programme based on art, which began in 1994 and ended in 2009. The programme was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Previously it had been recorded in Studio A at Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingha ...

branding. Hubbert later became a member of the company's Board of Management, and his work for the Mercedes-Benz earned him the nickname ''Mister Mercedes''. In the early 1990s, Hubbert began teaching engineering at the

University of Karlsruhe The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; ) is both a German public university, public research university in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, and a research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 when the University of Ka ...

, with the university giving him an honorary academic citizenship in 2015. Hubbert played a key role in Mercedes-Benz's operations in motorsport, such as

DTM DTM may refer to: Sport * Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000 * Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995 Computing * Data Transfer ...

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

, and the company's

re-entry Atmospheric entry (sometimes listed as Vimpact or Ventry) is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. Atmospheric entry may be ''uncontrolled entry ...

into

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

. He was also an essential part in the engine partnership with

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...

which began in that resulted in multiple world championships. In 2002, Hubbert became the President of the

Grand Prix World Championship The Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) refers to a number of proposed alternative world championship auto racing series to rival or replace Formula One. Founded in 2001, the GPWC was created as a tool to assist the companies in bargaining wit ...

, a proposed company which wanted to establish its own Grand Prix series from 2008 in competition with Formula 1. Hubbert died on 12 January 2021 in

, at the age of 81.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbert, Jürgen 1939 births 2021 deaths Mercedes-Benz Group executives Mercedes-Benz in Formula One McLaren people People from Hagen Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany