GM is sending Tim Lee to Shanghai, where he'll head the automaker's expanding International Operations.
Tim Lee, who has been serving as the automaker’s vice president of global manufacturing and sales, will become GM’s new head of international operations.
The appointment was in tandem with Nick Reilly’s move from GM International headquarters, in Shanghai, to Germany, where he will serve as head of both the troubled Opel subsidiary and General Motors Europe.
“I look forward to the challenge of building GM’s business in the world’s key emerging markets as well as many important mature markets. I also look forward to ongoing successful collaboration with our partners,” Lee said.
The China operation is rapidly becoming one of GM’s most important, reflecting not just the automaker’s success in the market but the overall surge in demand among increasingly affluent Chinese motorists. Sales in the market soared to 12 million from January through November and are expected to top 13 million for all of 2009.
The strong position of the Buick brand is considered a primary reason why GM decided to maintain the long-troubled marque, in the U.S., while dropping four other brands as part of its bankruptcy reorganization.