General Motors announced Thursday the appointment of Mark Reuss as company president, effective immediately. The Reuss name may be recognizable to you for several reasons. Firstly, Mark’s father was Lloyd E. Reuss, former president at GM from 1990 to 1992. More recently, Mark made headlines as he attempted to pace the entire lap of the Belle Isle race, although we’ll not pass judgement upon him as he has paced that race before with great success and many seasoned drivers wound up in the same situation, on the same corner during the most recent race.

Not the best way to draw attention to the new ZR1, but Mark’s on-track event had everyone talking about the car.

In 2001 Mark was appointed executive director of the Chevrolet Performance division, then executive director of Global Vehicle Integration, Safety and Virtual Development in 2005, and previously held the position of President of General Motors North America from 2009 until 2013. Reuss currently leads the Global Product Group and Cadillac and will now assume the helm of the entire organization.

Mark is an automotive enthusiast and has recently attended shows with his Tuxedo Black 1954 Corvette that he restored himself. His recent appointment puts him as the point-man for General Motors and reportedly, he will head up GM’s commitment to electric and autonomous vehicles. We would like to see a continued interest in those of us who like to drive our own autos, internally combusted or not, and hope that with an enthusiast in the big chair, those things we enjoy about driving may be key considerations going forward.

As General Motors continues their search of where these new technologies fit into the everyday lives of their customers, it’s reassuring to know that performance is still appreciated among the higher-ups and those who drive for the fun of it still have like-minded individuals in the Renaissance Center in Detroit.

Mark appreciates GM’s history and seeks to continue to blend that history with modern technology in his new role.

Leadership within GM tends to cycle between passionate enthusiasts and logic-driven numbers-crunchers, but with some of the most exciting offerings set to fly across dealer’s showrooms soon, it doesn’t hurt to have a fellow enthusiast calling the shots in HQ.