Hyundai’s luxury unit, Genesis Motors North America ended its hunt for a new CEO, selecting former Audi of America president Mark Del Rosso. He begins his tenure Oct. 21.
Much of Del Rosso’s 25-year career has been spent at luxury automakers. He enjoyed two stints at Audi, squeezing in a run as the head of Bentley’s Americas operations.
At Genesis, he will be responsible for overseeing all Genesis operations in North America and continuing the growth of the brand. He reports directly to Jose Munoz, president & CEO Hyundai North America and to the Genesis global headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea.
“Though Genesis is the youngest luxury automotive brand in the industry, having separated from parent Hyundai less than four years ago, It has been quickly gaining traction in the market with September YTD sales up 67 percent,” Munoz said.
“Given Mark’s overall proven track record and extensive experience leading luxury brands, I’m thoroughly confident that Genesis Motors North America will be positioned to accelerate its growth and climb the ladder of luxury automotive brands to the top.”
Prior to Genesis, Del Rosso was the President of Audi of America where he was responsible for the third largest sales volume region in the world for Audi AG, and instrumental in charting the course for Audi of America’s overall premium mobility strategies for the future.
Before that, he was the President & CEO, Region Americas for Bentley Motors Inc. Region Americas is the largest sales volume region in the world for Bentley, Del Rosso is credited with bringing some stability to unit. He readied the luxury brand’s dealer network and market for the launch of the all-new Continental GT/GTC.
Del Rosso’s first stint at Audi of America preceded his run at Bentley. He was the Chief Operating Officer at Audi of America Inc. where he launched and executed a premium “go to market” strategy that resulted in 77 consecutive months of increased sales. As a result, a 200K+ per year sales volume goal was achieved five years ahead of plan, according to his biography.
Del Rosso had compiled 17 years of varied industry experience, before joining Audi, through his work at Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., the vast majority of which was in roles of increasing responsibility within the Lexus division.
Erwin Raphael had been overseeing the day-to-day operations and will remain as the COO of Genesis Motor America. He’ll report to Del Rosso and be responsible for the strategic direction and management of all Genesis operations in the United States, including sales and marketing.
