Culture Clash May Have Led to Weber Exit

Last week’s resignation of Dave Weber, vp, marketing at Hyundai Motor America, is the latest fallout in a clash of cultures between the U.S. division and its Korean parent that could threaten the company’s success going forward, sources said.

Weber was stifled by supervision from Seoul, South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Co., sources said. “Weber was used to making million-dollar deals on handshakes. Here, he couldn’t make a 50-buck decision,” said one executive.

Weber said his departure was due to “a difference of opinion on strategies and approaches to doing business.”

A desire by executives in Seoul to consolidate global marketing and wield more regional control may have also played a role in Hyundai’s dismissal of Irvine, Calif.-based