Chris Gabby, Holden's Future
These are some of the questions many Australians who are still buying the "local hero" tag that Holden is promoting, among other things, would like answers to.
Unfortunately, we will have to be patient. GM Holden has closed the bamboo curtain with its new chairman and managing director, and this week all requests for access to a new boss have been ignored or denied.
Like the four chairmans who preceded him, the last Australian to sit at the helm of the football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars company was John Bagshaw two decades ago. conditions with.
A huge part of the challenge Gabby is facing is moving from a market that is in its infancy and thriving with all the excitement of untapped potential to one where a key product, the Commodore, is struggling.
The official press release on Gubby this week indicates that he has been very successful in his current role as executive vice president of Shanghai General Motors, a joint venture between GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), founded in 50.
Gabby joined the band in 2000. Since then, the company has grown to become China's leader in passenger car sales, selling more than 400,000 units last year, offering everything from Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet to Saab nameplates.
Prior to joining Shanghai GM in 2000, Gabby was Chief Operating Officer and Board Member of Vauxhall Motors Ltd in the United Kingdom; from 1995 to 1997 - operating director of the engineering group GKN Hardy Spicer Ltd; from 1991 to 1995 he was Assistant General Manager of Toyota Motor UK Ltd and began his career in the automotive industry in 1979 at Ford where he held the positions of assembly manager and process manager.
He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Manufacturing Engineering from Hatfield Polytechnic Institute in the UK and is an Honorary Citizen of Shanghai Municipality and Yantai City, Shandong Province.
What does all this mean for us?
These are all speculations at this point, but they show a more diverse career portfolio than current chairman Denny Mooney as Gabby has a broader background in marketing and market management than the person he is replacing, who came to Holden with a passionate and knowledgeable engineering background .
It is also no coincidence that Gubbey comes to Holden from a market with the largest export potential in the world. Conversely, it's also potentially one of the richest sources of foreign-made models that can get a Holden badge, or at least a GM badge.
The Daewoo experience has proven, at the very least, that if it can be launched at the right price and adorned with a Holden lion, Australians will buy it.
What GM Holden can bring from China is doubtful. However, it's worth asking what GM itself can ship to Australia from Gabby's current base.
Mooney often spoke of Cadillac's potential as a premium brand in Australia. It was always assumed that Cadillacs would be sourced from North America.
GM's Shanghai division is, or at least will soon be, building and assembling Cadillac vehicles for the Chinese market, including the long-wheelbase version of the STS, the CTS sedan and the SRX crossover.
At least two out of three of these would be attractive for a new Cadillac presence in Australia.
With a growing number of Australian-made engines in China, ever-improving trade agreements and the possibility of economies of scale in a soon-to-be world-leading market, the possibilities are intriguing.
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