BMW of North America Announces Senior Manager Appointments.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 3, 2019… BMW of North America today announced new appointments within its senior management team at the company’s corporate headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, NJ.  All leadership changes take effect on July 1, 2019.

Michael Peyton: Vice President, MINI of the Americas

Michael Peyton, current vice president of BMW Motorrad of the Americas, will become vice president of MINI of the Americas, responsible for the business operations of the MINI brand in both North and South America.  Peyton replaces Thomas Felbermair who is returning to Germany to take on a new role as vice president sales and marketing BMW M GmbH at BMW Group headquarters in Munich. 

Peyton’s automotive career spans more than three decades, beginning with Ford Motor Company where he spent 17 years serving in several sales and marketing roles for Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury.  He then joined Harley-Davidson Motor Company where he stayed for 10 years in various leadership positions including working as the head of U.S. dealer development for the Americas region, his last role before coming to the BMW Group in 2016. 

Trudy Hardy: Vice President, BMW Motorrad of the Americas

Trudy Hardy will assume Peyton’s previous post as vice president of BMW Motorrad of the Americas.  In her new position, Hardy will be responsible for all BMW Motorrad operations in both North and South America, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Latin America Direct Market Operations.  Since 2013, she has served as vice president of marketing for BMW of North America

Hardy has been an avid motorcycle rider over the course of her more than 20-years in the industry. She began her career with the BMW Group in 2001 as one of the original team members responsible for launching the MINI brand in the U.S.  Since then, Hardy has led marketing in various departments across the company from aftersales to MINI and BMW, responsible for brand strategy, positioning, product management, and communications.

Hardy’s successor will be announced at a later date. 

Both Peyton and Hardy will report directly to Bernhard Kuhnt, president and CEO of BMW of North America, and serve as members of the company’s executive management team. 

“The U.S. plays a big role for the BMW Group globally, serving as a critical market for each of our brands, including MINI and Motorrad,” said Bernhard Kuhnt, president & CEO of BMW of North America.   “Michael and Trudy both have a proven track record of innovation and transformation.  With this new team leading these core brands, we can continue to build our foundation for the future, keeping our dealers and customers at the heart of what we do.  We’d also like to thank Thomas for his contributions and wish him continued success in his new role.” 

For complete biographies and photos, journalists can visit the BMW Group U.S. media site, www.bmwusanews.com. 

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BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; technology offices in Silicon Valley and Chicago, and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 347 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 123 MINI passenger car dealers, and 37 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

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Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com