Automotive industry veteran James G. Selwa, a figure with a strong reputation for managing successful start-ups, is to be appointed as CEO of Maserati USA where he will also spearhead the return of Alfa Romeo to North America.

53-year-old Selwa recently resigned from his position of CEO of Rolls-Royce North America and will take up the appointment from 1st July. Officially his title will be that of CEO of Maserati of North America, which has now (effective from 1st June) completed its separation from Ferrari USA. However, significantly, he will also oversee the return of the Alfa Romeo brand to North America after more then a decade's absence.

A highly regarded figure within the US automotive industry Selwa is seen as the ideal figure to re-launch Alfa Romeo in North America and to re-position and amalgamate Maserati into the recently formed Alfa Romeo-Maserati Group. A close friend of Alfa Romeo's new CEO Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, Selwa was previously brought in by BMW to re-launch the Rolls-Royce brand onto the US market in January 2003, setting up from scratch an import organisation and nationwide dealer network, a job he is considered to have tackled admirably, and one he must now undertake all over again.

While Kalbfell has announced that the Alfa Romeo brand is to return to the US, no date has been set. Despite this, Alfa's return is regarded as sooner than later, with a product preview set for the forthcoming prestigious Pebble Beach event. This event will not only include the new Alfa 159, Brera, but also a brand-new concept car. Centro Stile Alfa Romeo state that the new concept car will cause a similar if not greater stir than the gorgeous production-ready 8C Competizione.

Both the new Alfa 159 sedan and Brera sportscar and its Frankfurt-bound Spider variant, have been engineered to meet US-regulation and will spearhead the eventual re-launch. The Alfa Romeo Kamal SUV project has also completed its development stage and awaits the green light, another vehicle designed with half an eye to the US market.

Selwa in fact began his long and distinguished automotive career with American Motors in 1971 as a product specialist, having graduated from the business school at Oakland University. He joined the marketing department of Volvo cars in 1977. His rise through the ranks saw him become Chairman and CEO of a USA-based marketing services firm whose clients included General Motors, the Ford Motor Company, Volvo, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini which allowed him to develop significant contacts.

In 1995 he became CEO of Lotus Cars North America which at the time imported the British-built Esprit V8 sportscar, while two years later he joined Panoz Motor Sports where he was responsible for all Panoz racing activities, including its sports car track programs in both Europe and the United States.
 

It is a significant part of his CV that will not be lost on Maserati and Alfa Romeo enthusiasts, who regard track competition as the very life blood of these two famous brand names. In fact Maserati only this year returned to US sportscar racing in the ALMS series with the awesome Maserati MC 12, taking part with a factory team backed up by Houston-based Risi Competizione, from whose facilities the programme is undertaken.

At Panoz Selwa took charge of the revitalisation and renovation of the Road Atlanta race course which was also owned by the firm's founder, Don Panoz.  He was set the goal of making the track into a premier motor sports facility, capable of hosting Formula One, CART, or other major events. In addition, Selwa also became an advisor on the expansion of the Panoz Auto Development Company, founded by Daniel Panoz, President, who was Don's son.

At the time of the appointment Selwa said, "I'm truly delighted to be involved with this organization, Road Atlanta is a beautiful, challenging circuit in a vigorous, growing market area. The potential is enormous, not only for Panoz as a cutting-edge car builder, but also for the track as a world-class racing facility and as a site for a variety of special events." Meanwhile, Don Panoz commented: "I believe Jim is the right person in the right position at the right time. He's a car guy, and his experience in the auto industry gives him the skills necessary to direct our development and achieve our goals."

In 2001 Selwa was named President and COO of ASC Marketing Services where he was responsible for the communications and marketing services of all ASC companies.  He also headed the newly formed group ASC Marketing Services, which combined current business development, marketing and vehicle personalization teams, to create a leading-edge resource for the introduction and marketing of specialty vehicles. Two years later he went on to managed the stateside re-launch of Rolls-Royce.