Prominent Toyota distributor Ken Czubay will join Ford Motor Co. as head of its U.S. sales and marketing organization, the automaker said Tuesday.
Czubay, 59, will start at Ford on July 16 and will report to Jim Farley, group vice president for marketing and communication. Czubay will be responsible for day-to-day sales and marketing of the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands in the U.S.
A Hamtramck native and former Ford employee, Czubay also worked for Nissan North America before moving to auto dealership positions.
He is now president of Southeast Toyota Distributors LLC based in Deerfield Beach, Fla., the largest distributor of Toyota and Scion, according to Ford. He also is president of JM Lexus, billed as that brand's largest volume dealership.
“Once you have been at Ford, it's always in your blood,” Czubay said. “I couldn't be more excited to be coming home.”
Czubay first joined Ford in 1970 as a financial analyst with Ford Motor Credit Co. and held management and executive jobs at Ford through 1983.
Ford is trying to attract new buyers in the United States, its largest global market, where it has posted only three monthly sales gains in the past two years. Ford last year lost its No. 2 slot for U.S. sales to Toyota after holding that position for 76 years.
Ford said Czubay will work with Farley on advertising, sales strategies and product introductions.
