Saturn Names Woman as Its Chairman

General Motors Corp.’s Saturn Corp. division on Monday named Cynthia M. Trudell chairman and president, making the 44-year-old executive one of the highest-ranking women in the auto industry.

She succeeds the retiring Donald W. Hudler, who will lead Saturn Retail Enterprises, a newly formed unit that will own and operate some Saturn dealerships.

Trudell becomes the third president in Saturn’s 14-year history. She previously was president of IBC Vehicles, a GM subsidiary in Luton, Britain, that builds the Frontera sport-utility vehicle.

Before that, Trudell, who holds a doctorate in physical chemistry, managed GM’s Wilmington, Del., plant, where Saturn will begin building its new L-Series mid-size models next year.