McNabb Named Vice President of North American Sales for GM “Premium Brands”
Continuing the trend toward combining the General Motors “premium” brands into a single sales channel, GM hired a former Nissan USA executive to head that effort. Mark McNabb, former Nissan North America sales and marketing chief, has taken control of the Cadillac, Saab and Hummer brand marketing and sales for all dealers in the United States and Canada.
McNabb is an industry veteran, having spent a great deal of his career with the Infiniti division of Nissan prior to becoming Vice President and General Manager of the Nissan division of Nissan USA. He left Nissan USA to join Mercedes-Benz USA as VP of Sales and Marketing in early 2006, staying only a year. He rejoined Nissan USA in his previous capacity less than a year ago, hailed as the leader “groomed” for that position who would turn around lackluster Nissan sales results. Now, GM is his new home.
I’ve always found it odd that certain “big” jobs need outsiders to fill them. Usually, this means that unpopular things need to happen in the short term to make the long term look better. My guess is that in this case Mr. McNabb will need to slash the number of dealers overall and get some hugely profitable Cadillac dealers to invest in Hummer and Saab. That’s just a guess, but I think it’s a good one. Neither of these ideas is new, and neither is really unexpected.
This move also begs the question about the role of Steve Shannon, the current President of Saab USA. Saab in the US is pretty much a marketing and sales division selling cars built in Europe. Of course, the 9-7x is an exception, and it appears that the 9-4x will be, too. However, unless I’ve overlooked something, I don’t think that manufacturing leadership is in Mr. Shannon’s job description, anyway. So, if there’s a new man in town to market Saabs, does that mean that Steve Shannon has a new boss? My guess is that the leadership of the brand and the leadership of the sales channel can be seperate, however, Mr. Shannon previously said grace over the Saab dealership network, and now may not.
I hope that this works out. From a service perspective, I think this is a net boost to Saab since the number of available Saab dealer service centers will more than treble. I worry about the marketing focus, however. Let’s hope that Mr. McNabb pays Saab its due during a time when the brand is introducing new models more than at any time in the past.
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Here in Oz, Parveen looks after the equivalent to this (tho Caddy isn’t here yet).
In the UK, Jonathon Nash does the same, with all three brands present.
I know the US is a bigger market, but it seems there’s two bulls in the cow paddock…..
Does that mean Saab will move away from Saturn dealerships in Canada?
nice head.
My thoughts exactly Richo.
Looks like a Caddy BLS with that smile.
Automotive News had a rather interesting spin on this as well in terms of this recent management change accelerating the consolidation its bloated US dealer network. Sounds like Steve Shannon as well as some others will be reporting to Mr. Nissan.
It would be too bad if Saab and Saturn separated, They are both now essentially GM Europe in North America and Saturn dealers have a better customer service reputation than others. Selfishly I also like getting our L200 and 9-5 looked after by the same shop that happens to be nearby. Fortunately they also have a Caddy franchise (with Pontiac and Buick) next door. The market is not the same in Canada and the US.
Folks,
That is not a Saab driver right their…
WTF’s with the stupid grin..
a.
I’ll reserve any judgement ( like it matters to anyone….) but - this does not feel like the cavalry to me.
Best wishes all the same, Mark and welcome to the Saab universe. Please do this wonderful marque proud and take it to the competition.
Stuff it up further and we’ll add you to the list of cardboard cutout middle managers who drifted through Saab on their way to some kind of mid-west oblivion. It won’t be pretty.
WRT Steve Shannon - is he even still on the planet? Redefining “low-key” if he is. And thats saying something in a Swedish company.
Swade.. Looking forward to an interview with Mark..
Richo and Al: right.I kinda think the grin makes him look like the Grinch.
I also think that we are undertanding the reason that Steve Shannon has been so silent. He’s been pushed aside a bit, yes?
For those of you in Canada, the GM Premium Channel announcements apply to the U.S. only as far as Saab is concerned.
As stated, Steve Shannon stays on in his current role as general manager for Saab Automobile U.S.A. For us, this means business as usual, keeping our focus on the launch of the Turbo X, Cross-Wheel Drive in the 9-3 and even more exciting all-new Saab products quickly growing bigger on the horizon…
Thank you for the information Jan Willem!
Ps.. We would love to hear you comment on the Left Lane news photoshop.. Not the right stuff is it`. The NG9-5.. One of the things growing on the horizon Ds.
/Tom, Sweden
Alaero - I don’t think passing personal comments is helpful - do you want to put your pic up for public comment?
I don’t know how Saab USA organises, but just hope it can ‘move its mind’ towards a better place - in Europe the brand is niche and middle to upper middle prestigious - this does not seem to be the case is USA where there are more brands anyway and some fortress America attitudes to funny little Eurocars.?
If USA could get a handle on the image/feel good factor we enjoy in Eurpoe, then the proportionate uplift in that market would fund all our expectations of model development in every market.
The 9-5 MUST be RIGHT , and from day ONE, not facelift FIVE.
Welcome, Mark. A suggestion, if I may. Drop ‘Born from Jets.’ It’s cartoonish and is diluting the brand’s image.
Well said, mark_belfast! And…welcome, Mr. McNabb.
Let’s not get touchy. I think that a great deal of frustration is attached to i any face presented at this point, even an attractive one.
As for “Born from Jets”, I think that the verbiage could work, but the hyperactive graphics and delivery could stand a trim. To each his own. If “Born from Jets” talked about aerodynamics, attention to materials engineering and a high level of technology, I’d be all over it.
Finally, let’s hope that Mr. McNabb gets a handle on this thing, pronto. As stated above, the new 9-3 and new 9-5 MUST take.
@mark_belfast
I ment that he is a Nissan Driver..
and the comment was made about his face 4 posts above mine.
a.
My apologies for starting the “nice head” thing, no offence intended. I think PT makes and excellent point though, Mark’s face as a cardboard cut out would be a sure winner!
J.W. Vester - we’ve heard this before my friend… I think it’s high time all the Saab USA management spent a year or two in Europe and immerse yourself in the auto culture, then you’d understand the whole concept of what mark_belfast calls “Fortress America”. And i’m not meaning to Yank bash, love the place (just spent a month skiing and driving 2000 miles around the place, also used to live there), love the people (I wish they all could be Californian girrrrrrrrrrls), but the corporate culture….. ehem….
You guys should at least spend a week or two at that cool auto hangout Swade found in Sweden with all those dudes. Don’t tell them who you are, just go and hang out (cool idea huh?)
“born from jets” - no one cares. People want to know what they are now and where they’re going - otherwise why don’t Mercedes use “born from Karl’s garage”. How about “We love the way BMW use turbo technology we’ve been using for 22 years and they get all the kudos because we never talk about it” or “as safe as a Volvo but don’t tell anyone”. It’s great to see however you’re making an effort to be part of this forum, kudos to you.
JWV - welcome to this forum. We don’t expect you to divulge corporate confidential info, but at least you can bash the ideas which borders on the insane or the not so a truthful rendition when it comes to the next flight of the 9-5, will you? As Oscar de la Hoya had said once after a boxing match “what pains is not so much the verdict, but when you know deep down in your heart that you have won, but yet then the decision goes the other way round.” The potential for Saab to produce top-notch products far ahead of its time is there, it just pains so much when they get introduced to the market when the dodo is long dead!
Maybe we may see a Saab TV spot more than once every 4 months here in the US? Could this be the guy that moves away from the paradigm of not advertising the brand? I know, advertising and the exposure it generates is overated…..
Saab: The best kept secret in the auto industry.
I’ve really liked the Nissan/Infiniti ads from the past few years, at least they’re miles better than the flashy, tacky ads that GM runs for Saab and Cadillac.
Flashy works fine for Caddy, but Saab needs ads that are every bit as classy and well put together as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes’ ads. They also need to be in places where people can actually see them.
“Audi will launch 17 new vehicles over the next seven years” says Jez Spinks from smh.com.au
Meanwhile Saab will launch…..?