Gurpratap Boparai appointed head of Mahindra's European division
Mahindra and Mahindra have appointed Gurpratap Boparai to oversee its European operations. This comes after Boparai's departure from Skoda Auto-Volkswagen India where he was heading the company's India operations. In his new role, Boparai will be in charge of Mahindra's interests in Europe which include Automobili Pininfarina, Peugeot Motorcycles as well as a Turkish tractor firm and Mahindra's Formula E interests.
In his previous role at the Volkswagen Group, Boparai has been credited with putting in place the German carmaker's ambitious India 2.0 plan. This saw the development of the localized MQB-A0-IN architecture which underpins the Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun, and will find its way into more cars this year and in 2023. There was also a full revamp of both brands service networks and rethink in production processes to streamline manufacturing in India.
As for the firms Boparai is set to head, Automobili Pininfarina is set to begin deliveries of its Battista electric hypercar while a full range of electric performance cars and SUVs are in the pipeline. The company has also expanded its presence in the North American market to prepare for this. In the case of Peugeot Motorcycles, Mahindra has tied up with Hero Electric to develop a new electric two-wheeler architecture that will be used to electrify the Peugeot range.
Mahindra hasn't officially announced Boparai's appointment but this development has been confirmed on social media by Rajesh Jejurikar, Mahindra's head of auto and farm sectors.
Also read,
Gurpratap Boparai resigns as head of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India
Mahindra-owned 1,900PS Pininfarina Battista electric GT makes public debut