Jess Bala has overseen Cadillac’s re-entry here and also the provision of two big name Chevrolets.

AN architect of the push to place Cadillac and Chevrolet’s Corvette and Silverado into New Zealand has departed the effort.

Jess Bala, General Motors’ managing director for New Zealand and Australia, is departing the company after almost two decades.

Her move announces as GM continues to work to site the compact five-seat Optiq and mammoth seven-chair Vistiq as electric alternates to Cadillac’s sole battery-fed car here, the Lyriq, whose run so far has been rocky.

A media share today, attributed to a GM spokesperson, said: “Following an accomplished two-decade career with General Motors … Jess Bala, has elected to depart the company.

“In her time as GM Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Jess drove the growth of our world-class portfolio, including Cadillac EVs, Corvette and full-size trucks and SUVs.

“We thank Jess for her contribution to the business and wish her well in her future endeavours. Greg Rowe, currently director of sales and operations, will serve as acting managing director.”

Resurgent interest in electric cars this year - after 24 months of all but moribund action in the sector - has not been helpful to re-establishing Cadillac after 80 years away.

Times have also been tough for the Corvette and though Silverado has been putting up solid figures, latterly that run also appears to have slowed.

Within the Cadillac family the compact five seat Optiq and upsized, seven chair Vistiq, site either side of the Lyriq, but a downward reprice of the latter to $95,000 for Luxury and Sport configurations that originally placed at $117k and $119k, means that car is barely above the Optiq, which starts at $90k. Vistiq begins at $120k.

Lyriq went into special pricing months ago, ostensibly to shift older landed stock.

All three cars site on General Motors’ ‘BEV3’ platform and use its ‘Ultium’ drive motors.

When confirming the Cadillacs in March of 2025, GM high-ups were keen to enforce the make’s “commitment to global right-hand drive markets”.

Cadillac nationally represents from a single outlet, in Auckland, with a direct sales programme.