Philip Murtaugh, General Motors Corp.’s China unit chairman and managing director, resigned «for personal reasons» after five years in the chair, a report issued Wednesday said.

He has been heading the unit for nearly five years since July 2000 making GM’s China Group one of the strongest on the market after the US and Japan.

The report did not disclose the reasons for the chairman to step down. Mr. Murtaugh said it has nothing to do with the unit’s recent sales slowdown.

"Details of Murtaugh’s replacement are being finalized and an announcement is pending," GM China unit said in a statement.

Last year, the unit managed to sell 5 million cars, trucks and vans under the tenure of Philip Murtaugh.