Salvatore (Sam) Basile has been appointed executive vice president of SAIC-GM, effective April 1, 2019. He is based in Shanghai and reports to Matt Tsien, GM executive vice-president and president of GM China. He is also a member of the SAIC-GM Executive Committee.

Basile is a GM veteran with 25 years of experience in product development in North America, Europe, Korea and China. He had served as GM vice president of Global Portfolio Planning since 2016, responsible for the development and management of the company’s product portfolio worldwide.

Basile’s connection with China started almost 10 years ago, when he was director of Product Planning and Program Management at GM China and SAIC-GM from 2010 to 2012. In his prior positions, he played a major role in optimizing the portfolios of Buick and Chevrolet in China, and refining Cadillac’s product strategy in the market to position the brand for strong growth.

“Sam’s global product expertise and local experience will help SAIC-GM strengthen its winning portfolio as the market enters the era of high-quality development,” said Tsien. “He will work closely with our partner to drive the continued success of our global brands in China.”  

Basile started his career with GM in 1994 in the United States, where he held a variety of positions in engineering, research and development, administration and product planning. He later served as GM vice president of Global Chevrolet and North America Product Planning.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Windsor in Canada and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Wayne State University.

Basile succeeds Julian Blissett, who was earlier named GM senior vice president, International Operations. Blissett has responsibility for GM’s operations outside the Americas and China, including Korea, Australia, Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East. He reports to GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra.

Blissett became executive vice president of SAIC-GM in 2014. SAIC-GM has strengthened its foothold as a leader in China’s vehicle market, with nearly 2 million vehicles delivered last year under the Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands, up from about 1.7 million in 2014. To support its ongoing growth, SAIC-GM established its fourth manufacturing base in Wuhan, Hubei, and opened its Cadillac plant in Shanghai, setting a new GM benchmark for flexible and intelligent manufacturing.

SAIC-GM has also played a leading role in deploying GM’s diversified electrification solutions. To support the steady rollout of new energy vehicles, SAIC-GM opened a battery assembly plant in Shanghai last year.