• March 4, 2011

Saab Cars North America has hired James Sweeting as U.S. sales director. Sweeting starts effective March 15. He will report directly to Saab Automobile AB Executive Director Global Sales & Aftersales and interim COO SCNA, Matthias Seidl. Over the course of the next few months, SCNA intends to announce a permanent COO.

Sweeting has spent the past 24 years with American Honda, most recently as zone sales manager in Honda's South Central zone.

Saab Automobile also recently announced a new global sales organization with four regions, each led by a regional director located in Trollhattan, Sweden, responsible for market development, sales and aftersales. The regions identified in the new structure are: Americas, Nordic, Europe, and Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa.

The company says the Americas region will be led by Alan Ludwell, who most recently oversaw importer markets at Saab Automobile AB. Magnus Hansson will continue as regional director for the Nordics, where Sweden is the largest market. The Europe region will be led by Jonathan Nash, who leaves his position as managing director of Saab Great Britain. The company says it will announce a regional director for Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa.

Saab says China will become the main focus in that region.