GM hopes for more `Saturnization' with promotion at Saab

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jun 7, 1996 by Michelle Krebs N.Y. Times News Service

DETROIT -- In a further sign of its eagerness to capitalize on the lessons learned at its Saturn division, General Motors Corp. is set to appoint another Saturn executive to a ranking position.

Joel Manby, a regional manager for Saturn in the Midwest, will be named president and chief executive of Saab Cars USA Inc., effective today.

The unit is the U.S. importer and distributor of cars made by Saab Automobile AB of Sweden, in which GM owns a half-interest.

Manby will replace James Crumlish, who has been Saab's top executive in the United States for six years. GM said Crumlish would be assigned to another corporate post.

Manby, who is 36, was an early employee of Saturn, which GM started in 1985.

He left the company in 1987 to run Saturn dealerships for Team Management, a $400 million chain of automobile dealerships based in Grand Blanc, Mich.

He returned to General Motors in 1994 and to Saturn last year.

Manby joins the roster of Saturn executives who have moved to key positions within GM.

Most visible is John Middlebrook, a vice president of sales, service and marketing at Saturn, who was recently promoted to general manager of the Chevrolet division. David Krysiek, now Saab's director of marketing, once worked for Saturn as well.

Saturn executives have also been placed within GM's new brand- management structure, at its British subsidiary Vauxhall Motors Ltd. and in the company's manufacturing and engineering operations.

John Orth, Saturn's director of consumer marketing, will join Saab on Monday as vice president of sales and retail network development, a new position.

Manby said his goal was to replicate Saturn's successful sales, marketing and distribution methods at Saab, which returned to overall profitability in 1994 after a six-year slump.

Saab sales in the U.S. this year are off by about 8 percent, while other European makers, most notably BMW and Mercedes-Benz, are setting records.

"As a whole, Saab's distribution network is not a strength," Manby said.

Analysts were encouraged by the move. "Clearly, if they can Saturnize the Saab franchise, it can only do positive things for Saab," said Joseph Phillippi, an analyst at Lehman Brothers.

"In fact, I'm sure there's more than a handful of marketing folks within the corporation who would like to Saturnize most of GM."

Saab has been rated below-average in customer-service surveys conducted by J.D. Power & Associates, an automotive market-research firm. Manby said Saab customers would get the kind of pampering that earned Saturn its reputation.

Saab may also adopt Saturn's flat-rate price policy. And Saab will examine "dualing," the practice of putting more than one vehicle marque in a single showroom, which Saturn does not allow.