Thunderbolt at Stellantis, its general manager in Great Britain is leaving to join the Chinese manufacturer BYD.
Chinese manufacturers are more and more numerous in Europe, and of course, this does not please Brussels or the traditional brands, who see this invasion as new competition. And among the companies that are arriving in force, we can notably cite BYD, which is starting to occupy a comfortable place in our market. The firm notably created the event during the last Paris World Cup, with its impressive Yangwang U8.
A departure for BYD
But the manufacturer, whose headquarters is located in Shenzhen, obviously does not want to stop there. Indeed, after having eaten into the market shares of traditional players and considering setting up a factory in Italy to produce its electric cars there, the Chinese giant is now continuing its expansion. How ? By poaching some of the strategic executives from its competitor, the Franco-Italian group Stellantis. The goal here is very clear: to strengthen its presence in Europe, a crucial market in its international development strategy. This is how this month, the company from the Middle Kingdom has just announced that it has recruited Maria Grazia Davinoan important figure at Stellantis, to lead its operations in five key European countries: Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic. This arrival follows that of Alberto Aza, a 52-year-old Spanish executive, who had just been appointed director of Stellantis in Spain. At 46, the Italian, who recently joined the ranks of the Chinese manufacturer, managed Stellantis’ operations in the United Kingdom until September.
Une offensive massive
Maria Grazia Davino has been particularly influential in developing Stellantis’ business in the UK and previously held various strategic positions within Fiat Chrysler, before it merged with PSA to form Stellantis. It is also within Fiat Chrysler that she met Alfredo Avila, another key player at BYD, now special advisor for Europe. For Stella Li, executive vice-president of the Chinese manufacturer, the arrival of this new recruit represents a real lever for growth. She states that “we are delighted to welcome Maria Grazia to our team. His extensive experience and visionary leadership will be essential to our growth and innovation in the European automotive sector.” The Chinese group is banking on Davino’s skills to accelerate its establishment in strategic European markets, in the face of increased competition and high expectations in terms of energy transition.
This aggressive recruitment strategy demonstrates BYD’s determination to become a key player in the European market, where competition between automakers is fierce, particularly in the area of electric vehicles. While Europe imposes increasingly strict standards on CO₂ emissions and encourages sustainable mobility, Chinese manufacturers, armed with new technologies and considerable financial resources, intend to do well.
Source: www.autoplus.fr
