General Motors has just announced the appointment of Leon Li as the new president of The Durant Guild, the automaker’s import vehicle platform launched late last year as a new arm of its corporate business in China.
Leon Li is a veteran executive leader of the luxury vehicle market who has been named as the new president of The Durant Guild and vice president of the company’s GM Premium Import subdivision in China, positions he will assume as of August 1st in replacement for Felix Weller. Going forward, Li will provide the strategic vision and direction for the entire life cycle of the American manufacturer’s premium import business in China.
“This is perfect timing, as GM gets ready to begin imports of iconic global products to China,” said Julian Blissett, GM executive vice president and president of GM China. “We are pleased that Leon will be bringing his unmatched experience in luxury and ultra-luxury vehicles to lead the Premium Import team,” he added.
Notably, Leon Li has solid experience in the ultra-luxury car business and in the Chinese market in particular, as before accepting GM’s proposal, the executive served as president of Rolls-Royce Greater China since 2014 and held several senior positions in the management of the BMW Group. In his new position, he will be in charge of carrying out the projects of GM’s new high-end vehicle business in the Asian country.
The Durant Guild is a Shanghai-based lifestyle platform created to import premium products into China under a new wholly owned business model, which will enable GM to drive further growth in that country with a larger portfolio of EVs and high-end ICE vehicles made in the United States that will complement the local model offer. The first of these will be the all-new Cadillac Celestiq ultra-luxury sedan.
“There are tremendous opportunities on the import side of the business to meet the growing needs in niche segments and among China’s high net worth individuals,” said Leon Li at the time of his executive appointment. “I look forward to working with our team to bring in some unique and one-of-one products and experiences with The Durant Guild,” he finished.
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Comment
Becoming more impressed by the Celestiq.