Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) has created a new executive-level position to oversee all pre-owned, Starmark, and fleet operations. MBUSA named Dave Schembri, formerly vice president of marketing, as vice president of pre-owned and fleet operations. The company said the new position was designed in part to capture new opportunities in the pre-owned and remarketing arenas.

Schembri joined MBUSA in 1994 and served as general manager in key MBUSA regions, overseeing retail operations during a period of significant growth. In 1999, he was promoted to vice president of sales - West, a position responsible for the Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles regions. He was named vice president of marketing in 2001. Schembri's automotive career began in 1975 with American Motors, and in 1979 he joined Volkswagen of America, where he held positions including director of marketing for VWoA and director of operations for VW Credit Corporation.

Replacing Schembri as vice president of marketing for MBUSA will be Michelle Cervantez. She was most recently global process and strategy manager, automotive strategy, for Ford Motor Co. with responsibility for shaping brand strategy throughout global markets.

MBUSA also announced that Keith May, vice president of sales for MBUSA since August 2001, will take on the additional responsibility for vehicle distribution and strategic volume planning. The new responsibilities will effectively consolidate all tactical and strategic sales operations to better anticipate and meet current and future retail needs.