Hyundai's top U.S. executive resigns

SOUTHKOREA-POLITICS-CHAEBOL

Hyundai Motor Co's <005380.KS> top U.S. executive Dave Zuchowski has resigned effective immediately and has been replaced on an interim basis by the company's general counsel, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

Trade publication Automotive News said Zuchowski, who has been chief executive of Hyundai Motor America since 2014, was fired for failing to meet sales objectives, but Hyundai spokesman Chris Hosford declined to confirm the report. Hyundai's U.S. sales are up 2 percent through November, while U.S. auto sales are up 0.1 percent.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)