11:10 am, January 2, 2019
HYUNDAI Motor has appointed Ashley Andrew as its new managing director to oversee the brand’s UK business following the recent announcement that Tony Whitehorn would step down from his role as president & CEO at the end of 2018.
Andrew, who joined Hyundai UK a year ago as sales director steps into the new role, effective immediately.
Andrew boasts more than 20 years of automotive and sales experience, having worked at senior levels for brands including Fiat Chrysler, Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, and Ford. He has brought strategic and operational strengths to Hyundai UK and has a strong ambition to deliver sustainable growth for the UK business.
He commented: ‘I am really excited to be taking the reins of one of the top ten car manufacturers in the UK, after Tony’s very successful 13 year tenure.
‘There is no doubt that we are facing challenging times that have, and will, continue to impact on our industry, however Hyundai is well positioned to continue to outperform the market. Moving forward, my role is to ensure that we continue to focus on delivering the right products and services to our customers whilst also delivering a robust and profitable business plan.
‘Our company is progressive, innovative, leading the charge in terms of eco mobility and has an exciting portfolio of new products yet to come, so I am confident we will continue to drive the brand forward.’
Andrew’s appointment comes as Hyundai enters a new period of consolidation after a decade of meteoric growth and it looks to further solidify its position in Europe with the development of a regional headquarters.
The new European business unit will extend its previous responsibility across every aspect of the business, ranging from product planning, marketing, sales, and manufacturing. It will operate with greater integration to actively respond to rapidly evolving market trends and customers’ needs.
Hyundai’s UK sales until the end of November 2018 were nearly 86,000 units, representing a market share of 3.86 per cent.
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