Head of GM’s Oz Subsidiary Joining Parent Company

GM Holden in Australia is to get a new leader after Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux is promoted to a senior role in parent General Motors.

Devereux is named Consolidated International Operations vice president-sales, marketing and aftersales, effective Nov. 1, reporting to CIO Executive Vice President Stefan Jacoby.

Devereux will continue to manage the GM Holden team and GM's operations in Australia and New Zealand until the end of the year, at which time a replacement will be named.

“We have a diverse, complex region,” Jacoby says. “Mike's extensive international and cross-functional knowledge of our business will be critical as we look to position CIO for success in the coming years.”

Devereux began his career with GM of Canada and has held positions in marketing, aftersales, brand management and e-business. Prior to running GM Holden, he was managing director-GM Middle East Operations.

The Australian Associated Press says the appointment means efforts to save GM Holden’s manufacturing operation have become more complicated.

Devereux has been involved in talks with the new Australian federal government over the future of the automaker’s plants and “is a strong advocate of the company retaining its local assembly operations.”

Meantime, GM Holden is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its most iconic nameplate, the locally built and now-endangered Commodore.

Phil Brook, GM Holden executive director-vehicle sales, service and marketing, says not many nameplates in Australia can lay claim to a rich 35-year history.

“Not only has Commodore survived years of dramatic change in the Australian automotive landscape, it has thrived,” he says in a statement. “Commodore has continued to adapt and evolve, ensuring it remains relevant and much-loved by Australians.

“Commodore illustrates the amazing talent, ingenuity and passion we possess here in Australia. It’s a story that we should all be very proud of.”

It debuted in 1978 as a single sedan body style and was an immediate success. The range expanded in 1979 to include a station wagon. Pickup and long-wheelbase Statesman/Caprice derivatives were added in 1990. The latest Commodore, the VF, is badged in the U.S. as the Chevrolet SS.

But with GM Holden’s local manufacturing operation in jeopardy, there are widespread reports the automaker is considering producing a front-wheel-drive version of the next-generation Commodore, due in 2017, that could be built outside Australia.