British carmaker Aston Martin has appointed Nissan executive Andy Palmer as its new chief executive.
Mr Palmer will finally fill a role which has been vacant since Ulrich Bez stepped down in November 2013.
Aston Martin has yet to confirm when Palmer will take over, but said in a statement he will undertake a transition period from Nissan.
51-year-old Palmer, a qualified engineer with over 35 years’ automotive industry experience, joined Nissan in 1991 and has been based in Japan for the past 13 years.
Palmer’s replacement at Nissan will be Renault’s Philippe Klein, who moves across from the parent group as part of a company reshuffle.
He will oversee a period a strong competitiveness for the company, which has invested around £500m engine and vehicle technologies throughout the past few years.
This includes £20m being used to extend its production facility in Gaydon, Warwickshire.
Mr Palmer is a UK-born chartered engineer who has spent 35 years in the automotive industry, starting as an apprentice at Automotive Products and then moving to Austin Rover.
