Michael McHale, the longtime director of corporate communications at Subaru of America, one of the hottest brands in the U.S., has abruptly left the company.
McHale told Automotive News his sudden departure, effective Monday, follows "a divergence of opinion of how to take the brand forward." He declined to provide more details.
McHale reported to Subaru of America CEO Tom Doll. Doll was named CEO of Subaru Corp.'s U.S. subsidiary last month.
McHale, 52, joined Subaru in January 2007 after working in communications at BMW North America.
McHale, an auto industry public relations veteran, has also worked in communications at Mini and Land Rover.
His tenure at Subaru began just as the company's U.S. sales growth began to ramp up. Part of his duties at Subaru included steering retailer communications.
Subaru is coming off its ninth straight year of record U.S. sales.
McHale was named an Automotive News all star in 2015 for his public relations efforts.
Subaru's U.S. sales streak stands at 76 months of year-over-year monthly increases.
You can reach Jack Walsworth at jwalsworth@crain.com -- Follow Jack on Twitter: @jackwalsworth
