Biz Briefs: GM hires away top VW marketer

General Motors Co. world headquarters in Detroit. GM.

Photo by Associated Press /Chattanooga Times Free Press.

GM hires away top VW marketer

General Motors has hired an executive from red-hot Volkswagen to lead the marketing of its most important brand.

Tim Mahoney, VW's chief product and marketing officer since 2011, will start work April 1 as global head of marketing for the Chevrolet brand. He'll also be responsible for overall coordination of GM's global marketing, the company said in a statement Monday.

VW has seen sales grow across the globe, especially in the U.S. Volkswagen Group's sales rose almost 31 percent in the U.S. last year.

In his new post, Mahoney will implement Chevrolet's new marketing platform with the tagline of "Find New Roads."

Bayer cancer drug gets FDA approval

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday expanded approval of a Bayer cancer pill to treat tumors of the intestinal tract that don't respond to other treatments.

The drug is called Stivarga and regulators approved it to treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors that cannot be surgically removed and no longer respond to other FDA-approved drugs.

Nokia offering 2 new cellphones

Nokia on Monday introduced two new low-priced basic cellphones and two lower-priced versions of its flagship Lumia Windows smartphone in an effort to once again gain appeal in the low end of the fast-growing market.

Nokia hopes the four new phones -- the Lumia 720, Lumia 520, Nokia 301 and Nokia 105 -- will help it maintain and perhaps build on its position as the No. 2 maker of cellphones worldwide.