Penske Auto names Lajdziak as President of Smart USA

Penske Automotive Group Inc, the second-largest US auto retailer, named Jill Lajdziak president of its Smart USA unit that distributes Daimler AG minicars. Lajdziak, a former general manager of General Motors Co’s Saturn division, replaces Dave Schembri, the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based company said in a statement today. Schembri will shift to Penske’s retail operations. Smart’s US sales tumbled 38 per cent in 2009’s first 11 months, including a 66 per cent slide in November. Penske, the operator of 310 dealership franchises, is the exclusive distributor for the cars in the US