Cadillac manager James E. Taylor appointed Hummer CEO

Blackout · #1 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 10:29 AM

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/16/c...ed-hummer-ceo/

c5 rv · #2 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 10:38 AM

Who'd he pi$$ off to get stuck with that albatross?

Jon · #3 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 11:00 AM

Hopefully this won't affect Cadillac's success

gary88 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 02:11 PM

More importantly, why hasn't Hummer been axed yet?

**Playdrv4me** · #5 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 02:24 PM

Hopefully they are putting him there to clean things up for an expediant sale, then he will return to Cadillac.

concorso · #6 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 02:53 PM

GM can't afford to axe Hummer. The pending lawsuits would hurt GM as much as continuing to sell Hummers. For that matter, GM's reputation would be less hurt by selling hummers VS selling Hummer's...

Like Playdrv4me said, I think this is an effort to clean up the brand so it can actually have a chance at selling...

**I~LUV~Caddys8792** · #7 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 03:01 PM

Why would they put a new captain aboard a sinking ship?

c5 rv · #8 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 03:09 PM

Hmm, maybe it's not a punishment. Maybe it's an indication that his brand will soon include Jeep.

**Playdrv4me** · #9 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by concorso

GM can't afford to axe Hummer. The pending lawsuits would hurt GM as much as continuing to sell Hummers. For that matter, GM's reputation would be less hurt by selling hummers VS selling Hummer's...

Like Playdrv4me said, I think this is an effort to clean up the brand so it can actually have a chance at selling...

Yup, not to mention there is ALOT of Value in the Hummer brand, just like Land Rover for example. I see zero chance of Hummer just getting killed off, someone out there will definitely buy it.

It also might just be my imagination, but it seems like Hummer finally threw in the towel on all the heavy advertising they were doing across the car-line. I've seen maybe 1 ad for the H3T recently and that's about it.

orconn · #10 (**permalink**) 10-16-08, 08:41 PM

Probably negotiating with Audi to buy Lamborghini so the can hop up the Hummer and package the whole deal to sell to the Saudis! What goes around comes around!

77CDV · #11 (**permalink**) 10-17-08, 02:11 AM

He ought to ask John Rock how he liked running Oldsmobile.....

Cadillacboy · #12 (**permalink**) 10-17-08, 02:44 PM

I don't think this move to save Hummer's future in the GM

jey · #13 (**permalink**) 10-17-08, 04:46 PM

GM has not appointed a "CEO" of any division in recent history. The creation of a "CEO" position for a division is pretty much unprecedented for GM, so it's interesting. Note that as head of Cadillac, Taylor was a "General Manager". Perhaps Taylor demanded the title as part of the perks to take on this tough task. Or maybe it's easier to sell a division if it already has an independent chain of command, including CEO??

**Playdrv4me** · #14 (**permalink**) 10-18-08, 03:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jey

GM has not appointed a "CEO" of any division in recent history. The creation of a "CEO" position for a division is pretty much unprecedented for GM, so it's interesting. Note that as head of Cadillac, Taylor was a "General Manager". Perhaps Taylor demanded the title as part of the perks to take on this tough task. Or maybe it's easier to sell a division if it already has an independent chain of command, including CEO??

You're right, I thought the CEO title was *very* strange myself. It may very well be an attempt to sweeten the pot for potential suitors by establishing a chain of command under management that has a proven track record of success.