Slaven Klarin-Smiljanic appointed as Group Managing Director for Stellantis Middle East

Dutch automaker Stellantis has appointed Slaven Klarin-Smiljanic as Group Managing Director for Stellantis Middle East, according to a press release. Klarin-Smiljanic previously served as the company’s CFO for the Middle East will head the company’s Dare Forward 2030 strategy to become a market leader. Stellantis is aiming to increase regional production autonomy from 25% to over 70% and have 25% of its portfolio be composed of EVs by 2030. The company has also appointed Thomas Odier as the new Managing Director of European Brands, which “signals an increased emphasis on growing presence and sales for European brands in the Middle East,” the statement added.

Stellantis’ activities in the region: Global automaker Stellantis announced it will manufacture a new battery-powered Fiat 600 compact SUV in Morocco last July. Stellantis was amongst the three companies that expressed interest in investing a total of USD 145 mn in Egypt’s auto industry over the next three years to produce a total of 60k-70k EVs and combustion engine vehicles every year.