Qoros Taps Japanese Execs for CEO, COO, CTO

Chinese carmaker Qoros Automotive Co. Ltd. has installed a trio of Japanese auto executives to its top posts, Automotive News reports.

Qoros  named Yajima Kazuo, former head of alternative-energy vehicles for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, as its CEO. He succeeds Li Feng, an executive vice president at Baoneng Group, which currently owns 51% of the Shanghai-based manufacturer.

The carmaker’s other owners are Chery Automobile Co. (25%) and Singapore-based investment firm Kenon Holdings Ltd. (24%). Kenon said last month that it intends to sell 12% of Qoros to Baoneng.

Qoros also named Nagahara Oki as its chief operating officer. He previously directed vehicle connectivity activities for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.

Finally, Hrai Toshiro, former chief for vehicle product line development at Nissan Motor Co.’s Infiniti luxury car unit, is now Qoros’ chief technology officer. All three appointments were effective a week ago, AN says.

Qoros was formed in 2007 and began selling the Qoros 3 small sedan in China at the end of 2013. The Qoros 5 midsize crossover vehicle was added in 2015.

The company operates a factory in Changshu that has annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles. Qoros sold a record 64,200 cars in 2018. The company announced a year ago it was reducing its workforce by 20% and focusing heavily on electrification for future models.