General Motors landed Johan De Nysschen, head of the Cadillac brand

© Reuters. GENERAL MOTORS LANDED JOHAN DE NYSSCHEN, HEAD OF THE CADILLAC BRAND

(Reuters) – General Motors (NYSE:GM) announced on Wednesday that it is separate from Johan de Nysschen, head of the Cadillac brand, shortly before the launch of a new SUV, crucial to the ambitions of the american manufacturer in the segment of cars of prestige.

In a press release, GM states that Johan De Nysschen is replaced with immediate effect by Steve Carlisle, who was previously general manager of the canadian operations of GM.

“The world is changing rapidly and with the launch of the new XT4, it is essential that we know how to capitalize on the opportunities that arise from these changes”, said in a press release, GM president Dan Ammann.

De Nysschen took control of Cadillac in July 2014 having previously led the u.s. subsidiary of Audi (Volkswagen group (DE:VOWG_p) and then Infinti, the luxury brand of Nissan (T:7201).

It engaged in a transformation program of $ 12 billion (€9.7 billion), symbolised by the transfer of the headquarters of the brand in New York in 2015.

In the first three months of 2018, the global sales of Cadillac have increased by 22.5 percent, driven by the chinese market, which is the first outlet of the brand. In the United States, its second largest market, Cadillac is worth, however, to revive themselves after a decrease of 8% of its sales in 2017.

(Nick Carey, Véronique Tison for the French service)