He replaces Sam Curtis, who has been in the position for seven years. Mr Curtis has not yet announced his next career move.

Mr Schmollinger is currently vice president of marketing for Porsche China. He will lead Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) and Porsche Retail Group Australia (PRGA), the entity that owns Porsche Centre Melbourne and Porsche Centre Sydney South.

He will relocate to Australia in late August, ahead of a handover process with Mr Curtis in September.

Porsche AG vice president of overseas and emerging markets, Matthias Becker, said Mr Schmollinger “not only knows the specifics of overseas markets very well, he also brings a close relationship to the retail organisation and broad marketing knowledge thanks to his experience in China”.

“I am pleased that in the year of the 70th anniversary of Porsche in Australia we have been able to win a proven sales expert as the person responsible for this growing market,” Mr Becker said.

Mr Schmollinger has worked at Porsche for 17 years. Before being appointed to his role in China, he was the market’s vice president of network management and development, overseeing dealer network expansion and the Porsche Training Academy China.

He has previously worked with the brand as director of Japan, South Korea, Australia and Asia Pacific based at the Porsche AG headquarters in Zuffenhausen.

During this time, he also served as interim managing director for Porsche Asia Pacific in Singapore.

By Neil Dowling