The announcement was made by Alliance Rostec Auto BV, the joint venture between Renault-Nissan and Rostec State Corporation (Rostec), which oversees AvtoVAZ, which also confirmed that current incumbent Bo Inge Andersson will step down from the role on the same date.

Mr Maure is currently managing director for Renault Group operations in Romania, where he is in charge of all commercial and industrial activities. He also serves as president and CEO of Automobile Dacia SA.

“AvtoVAZ has modernized its lineup and manufacturing processes, and significantly improved product quality,” said Carlos Ghosn, chairman of AvtoVAZ and also chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which has a majority stake in Alliance Rostec Auto BV. “With Nicolas Maure, we plan to continue on this strategy despite the short-term challenges, and we remain bullish about the long-term future of the Russian market and AvtoVAZ as the leading domestic automaker.”

Sergei Chemezov, CEO of the Rostec State Corporation, added: “In the past seven years, AvtoVAZ underwent major changes which significantly improved the quality of the vehicles, increased efficiency, and revitalized the model lineup. The objective today is to create a highly competitive product, increase Lada’s market share in Russia, and to work deeply with Russian suppliers. In this regard, AvtoVAZ is a model of development for hundreds of companies across the country. We expect the new CEO to continue improvements and capably meet new challenges.”