Ford of Europe hires BYD Europe MD as it begins fightback
Maria Grazia Davino moves from regional managing director of BYD Europe to the Blue Oval
Welcome to Movers and Shakers, an Autocar Business feature covering the latest job moves from across the automotive industry.
This page is updated regularly with all the biggest transfers, promotions and departures in the sector, covering everything you need to know.
Name: Maria Grazia Davino
Company: Ford of Europe
Role: Vice-president, sales
Ford of Europe has appointed Maria Grazia Davino as its new vice-president of sales as it kicks off its plan to claw back lost market share in Europe.
It will launch five new models tailored for the European market by 2029, including a new Bronco, a Fiesta replacement twinned with the Renault 5 and a crossover built in partnership with Geely.
Davino will be key in priming dealers for the product offensive, bringing two decades of experience with her. She was most recently a regional managing director for BYD Europe, playing a key role in the Chinese brand’s rise from a 1% market share in the first half of 2025 to 2.4% in the first half of this year. Ford’s market share, meanwhile, dropped from 3.3% to 2.7%.
Prior to joining BYD, Davino was the head of Stellantis UK.
Jim Baumbick, president of Ford of Europe – to whom Davino will report – said: “Her track record of building high-performing teams and building strong customer and dealer relationships will be invaluable as we continue to grow our business in Europe.”
Name: Michael Doyle
Company: Honda UK
Role: Head of automotive
Honda has promoted Michael Doyle to head of its UK automotive business. He returns to the car maker’s UK arm after three years in Africa.
He succeeds Rebecca Adamson, who now moves up to become general manager of customer engagement for Honda’s European division.
Doyle was most recently vice president of Honda Motor Southern Africa. Previously, he had spent 31 years at Honda UK.
On his new role, Doyle said: “It’s a privilege to return to the UK business and take on this role at a time of significant transformation for the automotive industry.
“Honda UK has a clear vision for its future, and I’m excited to build on the strong foundations already in place as we continue to evolve our product offering and strengthen our relationships with customers and our retail network”.
Name: Fermín Soneira
Company: Lamborghini
Role: Head of research and development
Lamborghini has appointed Fermín Soneira as its new head of research and development, effective from 1 July.
As the CEO of AUDI, a joint venture between Audi and SAIC, Soneira oversaw the creation of the new Chinese-market brand last year.
Previously he was engineering boss for Seat and head of global product marketing for Audi.
He succeeds Rouven Mohr, who also moves within the Volkswagen Group to become Audi’s chief technical officer.
Soneira is tasked with overseeing Lamborghini’s technical strategy and future innovation. He will also be responsible for the Italian brand’s motorsport operations.
Welcoming Soneira, Lambo CEO Stephan Winkelmann said: “With his extensive international experience, technical competence and strategic vision, he will further strengthen the brand’s success and drive our future innovation.”
Soneira added: “It is a great honor to join an iconic brand such as Lamborghini, which has contributed to writing the history of the automotive industry, performance and design.
“I look forward to working with the team to further elevate the brand’s technological excellence and driving experience.”
Name: Balaje Rajan
Company: JLR
Role: Group chief strategy officer
JLR has appointed Balaje Rajan as its new group chief strategy officer under recently appointed CEO PB Balaji.
Rajan was previously the chief strategy officer and head of international business for JLR’s siblings Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility.
The move, first reported by Autocar Professional, tightens the ties between JLR and its Indian parent company Tata.
The companies’ forthcoming electric cars – particularly new Land Rovers and models from Tata’s new premium brand, Avinya – will share key technologies, and Rajan’s appointment is expected to foster this collaboration.
Name: Erhan Eren
Company: Kia
Role: European PBV director
Kia has appointed Erhan Eren to lead its vans and commercial vehicle strategy in Europe.
Eren takes the role of PBV (Platform Beyond Vehicle) director, replacing Pierre-Martin Bos, who leaves Kia to take up the position of CEO of Zero Motorcycles.
Eren joins Kia from Wrightbus, where he served as managing director for Europe. He arrives with 18 years of experience across trucks, buses and vans. Other leadership roles included time at MAN and Iveco.
Based in Frankfurt, his core task will be to continue Kia’s commercial vehicle expansion: following last year’s PV5 will be the PV7 in 2027 and the PV9 in 2029. The Korean brand aims to achieve 250,000 global PBV sales by 2030.
Eren said: “My priority is to ensure customers benefit from a seamless, reliable ecosystem, from strong product fundamentals to service, uptime support, converter integration and parts availability.
“This role brings together everything I value: practical innovation, purposeful transformation and creating real impact for customers.”
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