He will lead all Maserati operations for Asia Pacific Region (except China) and report directly to Maserati COO Bernard Loire.

Mr Kimura replaces Luca Delfino who has become in charge of the Maserati FuoriSerie personalisation program at Maserati HQ in Modena.

Mr Loire said: “I am delighted to have Takayuki Kimura in our team and I am convinced that he will drive Maserati to success in the Asia Pacific region.

“I am also happy to welcome Luca in his new appointment. I believe both will contribute to the future success of the brand.”

Mr Kimura said: “I am honoured to work with an iconic brand as Maserati, in this new era in its history.”

Mr Kimura joins the Maserati brand from Groupe PSA Japan, both belonging to Stellantis. He studied material science and engineering and holds a master of business administration from the University of North Carolina.

He has extensive experience in the automotive industry, beginning his career in 1987, first at Toyota Motor Corporation and then with Lexus.

He was then president of Nissan Indonesia, and Nissan Asia Pacific and Thailand.

In 2014 he became president of Volvo Car Japan and subsequently served as an advisor to Volvo from March to December 2020.

His last position before joining Maserati was president and representative director of Groupe PSA Japan.

By Neil Dowling