General Motors has named a new chief for South America.
Barry Engle, described by GM as “a seasoned automotive executive”, and currently chief executive officer of Agility Fuel Systems, will join GM in September and succeed Ardila.
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Jaime Ardila, GM’s president of South America, will retire after nearly three decades at the company.
In his new role, Engle will be responsible for operations in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
He has previously held management positions in South America including president of Ford of Brazil and Mercosul from 2005 to 2006, and head of marketing, sales and service for Ford of Brazil from 2001 to 2003. His experience in the region dates to the early 1980s when he lived and worked in Argentina. He speaks both Spanish and Portuguese.
Since 2011, Engle has been CEO of Agility Fuel Systems based in Santa Ana, California.
From 1992 to 1997 and 2000 to 2008, Engle held various management positions at Ford in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Brazil and Canada. He also has automotive retail experience as a Chrysler-Plymouth-Jeep dealer in Salt Lake City from 1997 to 2000.
Ardila has headed GM’s efforts to grow Chevrolet in South Amercia through a renewed product line focused on technology, fuel efficiency and quality. He also was key in raising the percentage of local parts used in cars made in Brazil. He has held his current position since 2010 and his career with GM in 1984 in Colombia.
