New GM Talent Watch, Down Under Edition

There’s been some snickering in the blogosphere about how new the New General Motors (GMGMQ) can be if it’s being managed by the likes of 77-year-old product czar Bob Lutz and 67-year-old board Chairman Ed Whitacre. Sometimes, however, you have to root around in a company for signs of new blood. Where New GM is concerned, a good place to look is … Australia.

As many now know, GM isn’t just a North American operation. It’s trying to sell its main European brand, Opel, and also unload Saab, which still has Swedish DNA. One subsidiary it isn’t currently attempting to jettison is Holden, which builds cars for the Australia and New Zealand markets. One of these cars, the G8, recently made it to the United States for a short-lived stint as a Pontiac and attracted gushing praise from auto journalists. You can see why. The G8 is based on the Holden Commodore, Australia’s best-selling vehicle. It's part of a lineup of rides that is truly drool-worthy for enthusiasts.

Why? Big V8 engines and rear-wheel drive, for starters. In many ways, the Down Under market is more American than the current American market. Our roads are jammed with front-wheel drive V6 and 4-cylinder-engined sedans, but decades ago, when the Detroit Big Three ruled, rear-wheel drive V8s were king. Heck, Holden even sells its own version of the storied Chevy El Camino, which, in Oz, is called “Ute.”

Holden is run by Mark Reuss (b. 1963), who took over in 2008 after overseeing GM’s performance efforts for seven years. It makes sense that he’s now managing Holden, where performance is a serious selling point. The guy lives the life, too (check out his official bio here): he’s qualified to drive fast cars very fast. I’ve argued that GM could establish a new identity for itself as a luxury/performance brand—think BMW, but with slightly more mass-market appeal and the ability to build a lot more vehicles—and if the new company goes in that direction, Ruess could be an executive to watch.

As it stands, Reuss has managed to achieve at least intermittent profitability at Holden, during the worst sales downturn in the auto industry since the 1930s. In all the hoopla that’s surrounded the GM bankruptcy and ensuing shuffle-up of brands, few people have heard much about Holden. It might be time for them to start hearing more.