Hyundai Taps Former Nissan Chief as New U.S. Sales Head

Hyundai Motor America recently announced that it has chosen Randy Parker, a Nissan executive and former chief of Infiniti sales in the United States, as its new vice president of national sales.

Before his appointment as the new sales chief for Hyundai, Parker served as division vice president for Nissan’s light commercial vehicles sales based in Yokohama, Japan. He held the position for a year after vacating his post as vice president of Infiniti in North America from February 2015 to April 2018.

Parker will assume responsibility in Nissan starting May 30. His transfer follows Hyundai’s appointment of former Nissan executive Jose Muñoz as global COO and CEO of Hyundai Motor America in April. Muñoz was the former chairman of Nissan North America from 2016 to 2018.

Parker will be in charge of sales and distribution of Hyundai vehicles in the U.S. He will also be responsible for sales strategies and dealer relations, as well as overseeing the brand’s seven sales regions. He will report to Hyundai America COO Brian Smith.

In a statement, Smith showed confidence in Parker, saying, “Randy has built a career on leading teams, working collaboratively with retailers and implementing sales strategies that deliver profitable growth.”

When Parker was head of Infiniti North America’s operations, the brand’s U.S. sales went up to 153,415 in 2017, a 15 percent increase compared to its 2015 sales. It, however, dropped to 149,821 the year after.

The last executive to be formally named vice president of national sales at Hyundai Motor America was Derrick Hatami before his departure in June 2017.

Hyundai’s U.S. sales fell 13 percent in 2017 with 664,961 units and was relatively flat the following year. This year, however, they were up 1.7 percent from January to April.

The brand is looking to launch new products and crossovers this year.