(July 30, 2012) DETROIT — General Motors has dismissed global marketing chief Joel Ewanick two years after hiring him, Automotive News reported today. "He failed to meet the expectations the company has of an employee," spokesman Greg Martin said Sunday, without elaborating.

In a short statement, GM said Alan Batey, GM's vice president of U.S. sales and service, has been appointed interim global chief marketing officer. In May, Batey was promoted from vice president of Chevrolet sales and service to his current role.

The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, said Ewanick was removed for failing to adequately appraise the financial details of a recent sponsorship deal with Manchester United, a popular U.K. soccer team.

GM hired Ewanick, 52, as U.S. marketing chief in May of 2010. By the end of that year, he was put in charge of global marketing, then a new position.

Ewanick joined GM from Nissan, where he worked briefly. He had previously been part of a team of Hyundai Motor America executives credited with boosting sales and polishing the Korean automaker's U.S. image.

Source: Automotive News