Chevrolet, Toyota Exec Jim Perkins Dies at 83

Jim Perkins, a sales and marketing titan for the Buick, Chevrolet, Lexus and Toyota brands, died Friday at age 83.

The bigger-than-life Perkins, a freewheeling Texan, joined GM in 1960 sorting parts in a Chevy warehouse. Before long, he was managing increasingly larger chunks of the brand’s marketing operations in the U.S. He moved to GM’s Buick division in 1982, leaving for Toyota two years later to head sales in North America and help launch the company’s Lexus luxury brand.

Perkins returned to GM as Chevrolet’s general manager in 1989. He found a dysfunctional division with demoralized employees, poorly designed vehicles and rampant turf fights within the organization. Over the next several years, he addressed all those issues.

He also hiked Chevy profits by pushing truck sales, and he saw the brand win six Indianapolis 500 races and four NASCAR manufacturer’s championships.

Perkins retired from GM in 1996. A year later he was back in the game, this time managing superdealer Hendrick Automotive Group. He continued with the North Carolina-based retailer in various capacities until a few years ago.