General Motors has appointed a new president to oversee its European arm, ahead of a huge reintegration into the continental market with a new EV-only line-up to be announced next year.
Jaclyn McQuaid takes over the position today from Mahmoud Samara, who held the role for just over a year and leaves his post citing family reasons.
Having been with the American firm for 22 years, McQuaid brings vast experience to the role, says GM, most recently helping it take top spot for full-size truck sales in the US.
Her new role will involve leading GM’s European push – it only established its EU arm last year – with an all-electric line-up that will be headed by a new Cadillac Lyriq SUV (for which McQuaid's twin sister Jamie Brewer was chief engineer). Its plan is expected to be announced early next year. GM has committed to having a fully electric line-up worldwide by 2035.
Heavy investment has also gone into developing the new Ultium EV platform that underpins the Lyriq, GMC Hummer EV and other vehicles.
Before he left the role, Samara told Autocar that “we feel very confident we will be a substantial player” in the market.
His successor will now be responsible for continuing the transformation, according to GM senior vice-president Shilpan Amin.
“Jaclyn comes to this important leadership role having played an integral part in the development of many of our most successful products, including the integration of leading-edge technology and connectivity,” said Amin.
“Throughout her 22-year career at GM, Jaclyn has demonstrated a laser focus on the needs of our customers and has a proven track record of successfully leading global vehicle programmes, also providing her insights into the European markets – key attributes that will be critical to our success in disrupting mobility in the region.”
McQuaid said: “European customers are switching to electric vehicles at a faster rate than anywhere in the world, and GM is investing $35 billion through 2025 in electric and autonomous vehicle technology to be a major driver of our industry’s transformation.”
“Our flexible Ultium battery platform and the breadth and depth of our EV portfolio enable GM to offer customers in Europe a variety of products and services to support their lifestyles while also contributing to a future of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.”
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