Chinese car brand ZEEKR has hired Spiros Fotinos, a former Lexus executive, to run the company's operations in Europe, where the electric car maker owned by Geely plans to enter the market later this year, foreign media reported.

 

Before joining ZEEKR, Fotinos spent 24 years at Japanese automaker Toyota, where he previously ran Lexus' global brand management. According to a memo seen by foreign media, Fotinos joined ZEEKR in September last year as the brand's European chief executive, responsible for its operations in the European market. Fotinos was head of Lexus Europe from December 2019 to September 2022. In addition, he served as head of marketing, sales planning and logistics at Toyota Spain.

A representative for ZEEKR confirmed the company's appointment of Fotinos. According to Fotinos' LinkedIn page, he is currently vice president of ZEEKR and is based in Gothenburg, Sweden.

 

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The appointment, which was not previously reported, signals Polkrypton's determination to enter the European electric car market, which is home to traditional car makers such as BMW, Mercedes and Audi.

 

ZEEKR will sell the SUV-style ZEEKR X and its ZEEKR 001 electric sedan in Western Europe, the company said on April 12. The company had also previously said it would begin deliveries in Europe in the fourth quarter of this year.

 

An Conghui, chief executive of Zeekr, said the company would reveal more details about its overseas sales strategy at the Shanghai Auto Show, which runs from April 18 to 27. ZEEKR aims to sell 140,000 vehicles this year, which double the number in 2022.