GM hires former Hyundai's former marketing chief

General Motors Co said on Wednesday it has hired Hyundai Motor Co's highly regarded former marketing chief in the fourth shake-up of GM's sales organization since the automaker exited bankruptcy.

GM said Joel Ewanick would take over responsibility for marketing the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac brands later this month.

Ewanick, 49, was credited with helping to power sales and market share gains for Hyundai in 2009 during a crushing slump in industry-wide sales.

Ewanick pushed Hyundai into advertising in high-profile events like the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards just as other automakers, including GM, were pulling back.

He also launched the "Hyundai Assurance Program," a sales offer that took aim at consumer concerns about job security by allowing Hyundai buyers who lost their jobs to return their new cars.

Hyundai U.S. sales were up more than 8 percent in 2009 while industry-wide sales dropped 21 percent. During Ewanick's two-year tenure at Hyundai, the percentage of American consumers who reported that they would consider buying a Hyundai doubled.

Ewanick had joined Nissan Motor Co in March with responsibility for marketing all Nissan-brand vehicles in the U.S. market.

Ewanick replaces Susan Docherty, 47, who will be given a new position at GM, the company said.

Neither could be immediately reached for a comment.

GM has changed the executives in charge of its sales and marketing efforts four times since emerging from bankruptcy in July under pressure to reverse years of declining market share.

In the latest revamp in early March, GM announced North America President Mark Reuss, 46, would take responsibility for sales, stripping that responsibility from Docherty.

GM Chairman and Chief Executive Ed Whitacre has been pushing the automaker to move faster to win back U.S. consumers after a decades-long slide in market share.