Sales chief Randy Parker named CEO of Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor Co. is making key executive shifts, including the appointment of Randy Parker as CEO of Hyundai Motor America.

The changes follow the expansion of responsibilities for Jose Muñoz, who is global COO of Hyundai Motor Co. as well as CEO of Hyundai Motor North America.

Parker will be responsible for leading Hyundai's commercial automotive operations in the U.S. and will report directly to Muñoz, the automaker said in a statement on Thursday.

He is one of the first African Americans to be named CEO of an automaker in a regional market. He's also the second Black CEO named in the U.S. auto industry this month. On July 12, Lordstown Motors Corp. named Edward Hightower as its new CEO -- the first Black CEO of a U.S. automaker in more than 100 years.

In his current role as senior vice president of national sales for Hyundai Motor America, which he assumed in 2021, Parker has had oversight of all aspects of sales and distribution.

Bob Kim, who is currently general manager for Hyundai's southern region, will assume the national sales role and report to Parker.

Other moves

At the same time, Hyundai said it is promoting Tedros Mengiste, executive director of sales operations at Genesis Motor America, Hyundai's luxury arm, to vice president of sales operations for Genesis. Mengiste will continue to run sales, production, distribution, incentives and field operations in the U.S. and continue to report directly to Genesis COO Claudia Marquez.

Edgar Carranza will become CEO of Hyundai Motor de Mexico, charged with oversight of commercial automotive operations in the region. Carranza, currently COO, will report directly to Munoz.

All the appointments take effect Monday.

Under Parker's sales leadership during a period of industrywide inventory shortages, the Hyundai brand logged 738,081 U.S. sales in 2021, a 19 percent increase over 2020. Hyundai also grew U.S. market share from 4.3 percent in 2020 to 4.9 percent in 2021. This year through June, Hyundai sales accounted for 5 percent of the U.S. market.

"I have no doubt [Parker] will continue to strengthen the full Hyundai team and our dealer network," Munoz said in a statement.

Before working for Hyundai, Parker was vice president of Infiniti North America, in charge of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. In his three decades in the auto industry, he also has held leadership roles at Nissan, General Motors and GM Acceptance Corp.