Subaru of America announced Jim Pernas will retire as Vice President of Fixed Operations in July after nearly 40 years with the company, while Todd Lawrence has been promoted to Vice President of Loyalty and Aftersales.

Pernas held 15 positions across seven regional offices during his tenure at the Camden, New Jersey-based automaker. Lawrence, who joined Subaru in 1999 and has worked in both the United States and Japan, officially assumed his new role on March 2.

The company renamed the department to Loyalty and Aftersales to reflect its focus on customer ownership experience. Lawrence will oversee service retention efforts and parts and accessory sales growth.

"Jim has embodied our Love Promise values, and his leadership has played a meaningful role in our success," said Jeff Walters, President and COO of Subaru of America. "As Todd now takes the reins of this critical department, we are confident that our best-in-class owner loyalty program will continue to thrive under his leadership."

Subaru of America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation (Tokyo: 7270) and distributes vehicles through more than 630 retailers across the United States. The company has donated more than $300 million to charitable causes over the past 20 years.