New Vauxhall MD named as brand targets return to growth

Lamborghini has appointed former Japan boss Davide Sfrecola as the new head of its UK arm, as it negotiates a crucial year for the brand.

Having already replaced the Aventador with the Revuelto and updated the Urus with plug-in hybrid power, Lamborghini will soon launch the Temerario, the successor to its previous volume-selling supercar, the Huracán.

It will also open a new showroom in London's Mayfair, a battleground for luxury brands that also hosts marques such as Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Sfrecola brings vital experience to the launch, having previously overseen the opening of the Lamborghini Lounge in Tokyo.

He replaces Andrea Cavedagni, who has become the head of Lamborghini North America.

Sfrecola said: "The UK has a unique relationship with cars and particularly super-sports marques. Our hybridised model line-up of Revuelto, Urus SE and the Temerario due to debut shortly ensures the continued appeal and demand for our luxury brand in this important region, as endorsed by the opening of a prominent new showroom in London’s Mayfair."

Name: Carsten Intra

Company: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

Role: CEO

The CEO of Volkswagen's van-making division, Carsten Intra, has left the company after almost five years in the top job and 25 years of working for the wider Volkswagen Group.

In a post made on social media platform LinkedIn, Intra said the decision to step away was "purely personal", having been made with his family.

"I believe this is the right moment to hand over the leadership," said Intra, adding that the brand's improved financial performance under his leadership, as well as the arrival of new vans such as the Transporter and ID Buzz, means it is "now in an excellent position for a successful future".

Intra will remain with the comapany until the end of June, at which point he will hand leadership to Stefan Mecha, who currently oversees Volkswagen's car brand in China.

"I would like to take this moment to thank the entire VWCV team, especially my board team, and all partners and friends for your trust and cooperation over the past years," said Intra.

Name: Werner Tietz

Company: Volkswagen Group

Role: Head of group research and development

Seat and Cupra R&D boss Werner Tietz has been promoted to the same position for the wider Volkswagen Group, replacing Michael Steiner.

Tietz has worked within the Volkswagen Group since 1994, having cut his teeth at Audi before becoming head of body and trim for Porsche in 2011. He worked on projects such as the Taycan concept before moving to Bentley in 2018. He was named executive vice-president of R&D for Seat and Cupra in 2020.

Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said: “With his vision, technical expertise and more than three decades of experience within the Volkswagen Group, Werner Tietz has played a key role in shaping the innovative strength of brands such as Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Seat-Cupra.

“His work stands for forward-looking development, from sustainable materials to electrification strategy. With this extensive expertise, he will continue to drive forward research and development at the Volkswagen Group.”

Steiner has ceded the role of R&D chief for the wider Volkswagen Group to become deputy chairman of Porsche, in what the sports car brand describes as a "generational change" at its executive level.

He also retains his position overseeing Porsche's R&D, which he has held since 2016.

Blume hailed Steiner’s "significant contribution” to the future of the Volkswagen Group, overseeing the development of new electrical architectures and for transitioning it to the development of software-defined vehicles.

“His work has been important for key decisions in the areas of automotive software, batteries, and autonomous driving,” said Blume. “I would like to personally thank him for his commitment to the Volkswagen Group.”

Wolfgang Porsche, chairman of the supervisory board for Porsche, said: “We are also pleased that Dr Michael Steiner will bring his experience and expertise to the additional role of deputy chairman of the executive board.”

Name: James Taylor

Company: Nissan GB

Role: Managing director

Former Vauxhall UK boss James Taylor has been appointed Nissan GB’s new managing director.

Taylor, who left his role at Vauxhall in February, succeeds Diana Torres at Nissan GB, who herself only took on the role last March. He will start his role on 1 May.

Taylor joins Nissan GB ahead of a busy period for the Sunderland-based car maker, with the new Leaf and new Micra due this year and the next Juke bound to arrive in 2026.

“These are very dynamic times for the automotive industry, so now, more than ever, we need to be agile and responsive to business needs and customer demands,” he said.

“Nissan already makes two of the UK’s top-selling cars, has exciting new products on the way and is a brand with real momentum.

"I look forward to working with the Nissan team, its dealer partners and other stakeholders to navigate current industry challenges and build the business for sustainable future success.”

Name: Josep Maria Recasens

Company: Ampere

Role: CEO

Josep Maria Recasens has replaced Renault Group chief Luca de Meo as the CEO of its electric car development arm, Ampere.

Previously Ampere's chief operating officer, he takes the helm as Ampere gears up for the launch of the Twingo city car, due next year.

He will also be responsible for launching a new range of C-segment models in 2028, previewed by the Emblème concept shown earlier this year.

"I know that with Josep Maria at the helm, Ampere will continue and successfully accelerate its role as a spearhead for the Group and the European industry." said de Meo.

Alongside Recasens, Ampere named Marie Ollier its new vice-president of human resources, Sandra Gomez its head of strategy, and Vittorio d’Arienzo its product chief.

Name: Ed Jones

Company: Nissan GB

Role: Sales director

Nissan GB has named Ed Jones its new sales director from 16 June.

Among his key responsibilities will be preparing the company for the launch of the next-generation Leaf EV, as well as ensuring the continued success of the Qashqai and Juke crossovers. 

Jones returns to Nissan after seven years with Audi, where he was most recently sales operations manager. 

“I’m delighted to be returning at such an exciting time,” he said. “Nissan was the only brand with two models in the top five best-sellers in 2024 and, with increased market share and double-digit sales growth, it’s a brand with real momentum in 2025.”

He replaces Michael Auilar, who held the position for the past two years.

Names: Steve Hicks, Sanka De Silva

Company: Kia UK

Roles: Marketing director, sales director

Kia UK has appointed Steve Hicks (left) as its new marketing director and Sanka De Silva as sales director - both effectively swapping roles.

Hicks, previously sales director for Kia UK, joined the business in 2017, leading all sales channels across retail and fleet, for new and used cars. De Silva also joined in 2017, progressing to the lead the wider UK marketing team.

Both men maintain equal position on the executive board of directors for Kia UK and continue to report to commercial director Simon Hetherington.

Hicks said: “Kia is at a pivotal moment right now as we enhance our position as a leader in electrification and build on our range of customer-centric electrified vehicles. I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead Kia’s product positioning and marketing communications to enhance how UK consumers approach and engage with the brand.”

De Silva said: “I am thrilled to be taking on this new position at such an exciting and evolving time for Kia. With such a strong product line-up in view, an engaged and committed dealer network and sales momentum at a promising rate, we’re in a positive position and I am eager to get started and lead our sales function to new heights.”

Name: Peter Rawlinson

Company: Lucid Motors

Role: CEO

Lucid chief Peter Rawlinson has stepped down after six years in charge of the electric car manufacturer.

He will now take on a new role as strategic technical advisor to chairman Turqi Alnowaiser. 

Meanwhile, chief operating officer Marc Winterhoff will take on the role of interim CEO.

Rawlinson first joined Lucid as its chief technical officer in 2013, having previously led the development of the Tesla Model S – the saloon widely credited with having popularised electric cars in the mainstream.

Lucid launched its first model, the Air saloon, in 2021. Its headline-grabbing 549-mile range – according to European WLTP testing – soon found the firm favour as a technological leader. It has, however, yet to make a profit.

Indeed, Lucid made a net loss of $2.7 billion (£2.1bn) last year against revenues of $807.8 million (£638m). 

The firm has pinned its hopes of success on the new Gravity, a luxury SUV based on the same underpinnings as the Air.

It expects the new model to increase the firm's production from just over 10,000 cars last year to around 20,000 by the end of 2025.

The Gravity will be followed by a new ‘mid-size’ SUV, due next year and pitched as a rival for the Tesla Model Y. This will spawn a saloon (to battle the Tesla Model 3) and a third model.

"Now that we have successfully launched the Lucid Gravity, I have decided it is finally the right time for me to step aside from my roles at Lucid," Rawlinson said in a statement.

Winterhoff added: "Lucid's technology leadership is now well established and our roadmap well defined.

"I am honoured to step into this role as we enter the next stage in our transformational journey, and I look forward to capitalising on the tremendous opportunity this presents. 

"Our team remains focused on further ramping production of the Lucid Gravity, preparing for the launch of our three mid-size platform vehicles, and continuing development of our low-cost Atlas drive unit while we aggressively reduce our costs."

Name: James Taylor

Company: Vauxhall

Role: Managing director

James Taylor has left the role of Vauxhall managing director, ending his 25-year run working for the British brand.

He first joined Vauxhall on a student placement scheme in 1997 and returned to the firm as a commercial vehicle forecast specialist in 2000. 

By 2005, he was a national business manager for Vauxhall's then-owner, General Motors, and in 2011 he took over the brand's crucial fleet sales channel.

He was named Vauxhall's managing director at the end of 2022 and has been faced with one of the trickiest periods in its history since, negotiating a shift upmarket under new owner Stellantis and the introduction of several electric models while facing government mandates forcing their sale.

His departure comes as Stellantis prepares to shut the historic Vauxhall plant in Luton and after the brand recorded a 21.43% decline in annual sales compared with 2023 – a significant drop but also slightly less than that felt by arch-rival Ford in the UK.

In the interim, Taylor will be replaced by Stellantis UK boss Eurig Druce. His long-term successor will be announced "in due course", according to a company statement.

“I’d like to sincerely thank James for more than a quarter of a century of loyalty and dedication to Vauxhall,” said Druce. “James leaves Vauxhall ready for the UK’s transition to an electric future, and on behalf of his many colleagues and friends, I wish him personally all the best for the future.”

Taylor said: “I’d like to thank all my colleagues, past and present, for both their amazing contributions to what has been achieved – especially in recent years, transforming Vauxhall through design, technology and marketing into an electric-first brand – and I wish them every success in the future.”

Name: Michelle Mortiboys

Company: Aston Martin

Role: Chief product engineer

Michelle Mortiboys, a nominee in the 2024 Autocar Great Women awards, has announced that she is the new chief product engineer for Aston Martin.

Mortiboys joins Aston Martin from supplier Aptiv, where she was responsible for managing its European programmes and its UK site.

Prior to that, she was the head of automotive for Dyson and took charge of manufacturing at the Land Rover Defender factory in Nitra, Slovakia. 

During her time at JLR, she also headed the firm's Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division.

Name: Alex Smith

Company: Lookers

Role: Chairman

Alex Smith, the former managing director of Volkswagen Group UK, has been named the new chairman of dealer group Lookers. 

The company has more than 150 showrooms across the UK, with 38 brands and more than 7000 cars across its new and used arms at any one time. 

Smith has also been appointed to the executive committee of Lookers owner Global Auto Holdings Limited (GAHL), taking responsibility for the firm's European operations.

"We are extremely pleased to add someone of Alex’s calibre to the Lookers leadership team," GAHL said in a statement. "We believe his deep automotive expertise, track record of industry leading results and overall strategic capabilities will greatly benefit both Lookers as well as GAHL’s European operations as we continue to pursue operational excellence and growth."

Name: Frank Marotte

Company: Dacia

Role: Vice-president for marketing, sales and operations

Dacia has named Frank Marotte its new vice-president for marketing, sales and operations.

Marotte was previously the president and managing director of Toyota France, overseeing both the Toyota and Lexus brands. He started his career in automotive with Peugeot in 1993.

He replaces Xavier Martinet, who left Dacia last year to lead Hyundai's European operations.

Marotte will begin his new job on 1 February.

Names: Giuseppe Cava, Damien Dally, Nicola Dobson, Tom Ray, Nick Richards

Company: Stellantis UK

Roles: Managing director for Fiat, Fiat Professional and Abarth (Cava), brand director for Leapmotor (Dally), managing director for Peugeot (Dobson), B2B director (Ray) and pre-owned vehicles director (Richards)

Stellantis has revised its UK management team, appointing new managing directors for the Abarth, Fiat and Peugeot brands.

Giuseppe Cava, who was most recently the UK marketing director for Fiat and Abarth, replaces Damien Dally as the sibling brands' managing director.

Dally moves into the role of brand director for Chinese debutant Leapmotor.

Nicola Dobson, previously the director of pre-owned vehicles, replaces Eurig Druce as Peugeot managing director following his promotion to managing director of Stellantis UK.

Nick Richards takes on Dobson's former role.

Tom Ray, who joined Stellantis in 2004, has been appointed B2B operations director for the UK.

All will report to Druce.

Name: David Beattie

Company: Mini UK and Ireland

Role: Director

David Beattie has been named the new director for Mini UK and Ireland, replacing Federico Izzo, who has been promoted to lead the brand's European operations.

Beattie has worked for the BMW Group UK since 2005 and most recently led its used car sales operation.

Names: Sjoerd Knipping, Pablo Martinez Masip

Company: Kia Europe

Roles: Chief operating officer (Knipping), vice-president of product and marketing (Martinez Masip)

Kia Europe has appointed a new chief operating officer and vice-president of product and marketing.

Sjoerd Knipping (above, left), the new COO, has been promoted from his previous role as vice-president of product and marketing.

He has spent more than 25 years working in the European automotive industry, having held several senior roles at Kia and Ford.

Replacing Knipping as the vice-president of product and marketing is Pablo Martinez Masip (above, right), who has been Kia's global VP for customer experience since 2021.

"Going forward, our strong team supported by these executives will continue to move our bold transformation process to be a sustainable mobility solutions provider with a focus on our people and our customers," said Marc Hedrich, president and CEO of Kia Europe.

Name: Christian Meunier

Company: Nissan

Role: Chairperson of the management committee for the Americas

Former CEO of Jeep Christian Meunier has been named the new chairman of Nissan's management committee in the Americas.

He will report directly to Nissan's new chief performance officer, Guillaume Cartier, who was appointed to right the ship after the firm's operating profits dropped by 90% during the first half of its 2024 financial year.

Challenges facing Meunier include the threat of a 25% tariff on its cars exported into the US from Mexico, as well as a profitability slide that was in part caused by liberal discounting in the region.

He spent 17 years with Nissan (between 2002 and 2019) before taking the top job at Jeep. He left the American manufacturer in October 2023 to "take a long break to focus on personal interests", according to an official Stellantis statement.

Name: Damien O'Sullivan

Company: VW Group UK

Role: Managing director

Volkswagen Group UK has named Damien O'Sullivan as its new managing director, with Alex Smith leaving after six years at the helm. 

O'Sullivan will take the top job in Milton Keynes on 1 December, having run Audi in Ireland for the past three years. Prior to that, he spent time in various positions within the VW Group in China and Taiwan, having joined the company's sales division in 2009.

Smith, who has been with the VW Group UK for nearly 15 years, is leaving the company "at his own request", according to an official statement. 

His tenure as VW Group UK MD has coincided with one of the most turbulent and disruptive periods in automotive history, but he leaves the company in a strong position ahead of a transformative few years in which each of its brands are planning to launch crucial new models to the UK market.

"I’m very proud of everything the team and the networks have achieved in a period which has included Brexit, a pandemic, a supply crisis and the introduction of mass-market electromobility," said Smith. 

"With Volkswagen the UK’s number one passenger car brand, Audi at number two and both Skoda and Seat/Cupra achieving record market shares so far this year, as well as Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in number two position in the van market, it feels like the right time to hand over to Damien to continue building on Volkswagen Group’s market leading performance in the UK."

Name: Xavier Martinet

Company: Hyundai Europe

Role: President and CEO

Dacia marketing chief Xavier Martinet will become the next president and CEO of Hyundai Europe.

Martinet replaces Michael Cole, who is retiring at the end of this year after four years in the top job.

Cole, who has been with the Hyundai Motor Group since 2009, said: “After more than 40 years in the automotive industry, it is now time to return to the UK to be with my family and to enjoy life beyond work.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to enjoy a career in such a dynamic industry and over the last 15 years to work at Hyundai Motor Group, the best and most progressive automotive organisation in the world.

“I am proud to have worked with a great team in Europe, who l know will ensure that Hyundai continues its exciting growth trajectory.”

Name: Christophe Georges 

Company: Bentley 

Role: Board member for sales and marketing

Bentley has promoted sales and marketing director Christophe Georges to a seat on its executive board. 

Georges joined Bentley in 1998 and has held several key positions since, including two stints as its president and CEO for the Americas region. 

“I am relishing the prospect of continuing to work closely with my colleagues to provide fresh momentum and direction as we grow our brand, our audience base and our entire sales and marketing operations,” said Georges.

Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser added that Georges is “perfectly placed to realise our brand and sales ambitions”. 

Name: James Crichton

Company: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Role: Regional director for the Middle East and Africa

James Crichton has been named Rolls-Royce’s next regional director for the “hugely important” Middle East and Africa region. 

Crichton has held a number of senior positions at the luxury car maker since 2010 and has worked as the general manager of its global sales operations for the past six years.

Julian Jenkins, Rolls-Royce’s director of sales and brand, said: “I am delighted to welcome James Crichton to his new role as regional director Middle East and Africa.

“James has more than 14 years of experience with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and has held several leading positions in the company during this time.

“This latest move to Dubai reunites him with the regional office he was asked to establish in 2011.

“Middle East and Africa is a hugely important region for our business, and I wish James continued success in his role leading the excellent team which serves the region.”

Name: Maria Grazia Davino

Company: BYD

Role: Regional managing director for Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic

Maria Grazia Davino has been announced as the new regional managing director for BYD in Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic.

The news comes days after she stepped down as managing director of Stellantis UK – a position she held since July 2023.

Stella Li, executive vice-president of BYD, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Maria Grazia to our team. Her extensive experience and visionary leadership will be pivotal as we continue to grow and innovate in the European automotive landscape.”

Name: Eurig Druce

Company: Stellantis UK

Role: Managing director