He still maintains a residence in Capetown, and owns with two friends a game reserve near Kruger National Park. .
Schrempp returned to Stuttgart in in 1987 as second in command in the truck division, and from there worked his way up the ladder. In May of 1995, after working for Daimler for nearly thirty years, he became the company's chairman. For three years, from 1995 until 1998, he was Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler-Benz AG. Many would think that Schrempp had reached his career peak, but the Chairman of one of the worlds largest automakers still had several plans spinning in his head. .
Schrempp wanted to be an international, automotive powerhouse. It was simply a matter of finding the company that would meet all the criteria to complete his auto-utopian marriage. That company was Chrysler. America's 3rd largest automaker's reputation boasts SUV's and minivans that would incorporate Daimler into the United State's vast middle market. Additionally, Daimler would boost Chrysler's 1% European market share. It took Schrempp 17 minutes in Chrysler CEO Robert Eaton's Auburn Hills, Mich. office to convince him of the merits of the merger. America's standard of auto excellence would merge with the symbol of automotive luxury and excellence to become the world's fifth largest carmaker: DaimlerChrysler. On May 6, the merger agreement was signed in London and was certified on July 23 by the European Commission. By October 23rd, over 97% of Daimler's shareholders had transferred their shares over to DaimlerChrysler (DCX), making clear the public's approval of Schrempp's merger. .
Schrempp's ideas for the merger went beyond increasing both company's market shares on either sides of the Atlantic. His plan involved retaining separate Directive Boards, but to have sitting members on each board that represented the other half of the company. Both Schrempp and Eaton planned to spend time taking inventory and in doing so, determine which market segments to target.
