GM appoints interim Vauxhall head

Vauxhall’s former managing director Nick Reilly is to head the brand until a new chief executive is appointed.

Vauxhall Astra

The car marque is seeking a new leader following parent company General Motor’s decision to cancel the sale of Vauxhall and Opel to Canadian group Magna International last week.

Reilly will be tasked with “overseeing the creation of a strategy to position Opel/Vauxhall for long-term success’.

He will also maintain overall direction of GM’s International Operations based in Shanghai, China, but day-to-day operations of the various international subsidiaries in his organisation will be handled by the respective country managing directors while he serves in Europe.

General Motors is under pressure from German and British politicians to quickly present a restructuring plan for the two marques and have warned that GM should not count on governments to shoulder most of the overhaul costs.

The company has previously warned that the number of job cuts could total around 10,000 in Europe, but declined to elaborate on details or possible plant closures. Senior executives from General Motors will come to London this week to present their detailed business plan for the future of Vauxhall.

GM president and chief executive, Fritz Henderson, says: “We’re confident that the key personnel leading Opel/Vauxhall will stay focused on running the business during this time of transition. We expect to finalise our proposals for establishing Opel/Vauxhall’s future next week and will be engaging all stakeholders to see how we can best work together in achieving our mutual goals.”