WASHINGTON — The Alliance for Automotive Innovation has named Kumar Galhotra, Ford Motor Co.’s president of the Americas and international markets group, as its 2022 board chair.
Galhotra succeeds Chris Reynolds, Toyota’s chief administrative officer for corporate resources in North America, who was the 2021 chair.
General Motors President Mark Reuss was the association’s inaugural chair in 2020.
“This is an incredible time of transformation for the entire automotive industry, and I look forward to helping lead the charge into the electric vehicle future,” Galhotra said in a statement Wednesday.
The alliance “is uniquely positioned now to build on the groundwork laid over the past several years and shape the future as public policy assumes ever more significance in the transition to electric and connected transportation,” he said.
Galhotra was honored by Automotive News as a 2018 All-Star for helping to revive Ford’s Lincoln brand.
The alliance represents most automakers in the U.S. as well as some suppliers and tech companies. Its members — including Ford, GM, Toyota and Volkswagen — are investing billions of dollars in electrification as the industry works toward achieving a goal of 40 to 50 percent EV penetration by 2030.
“As the auto industry works to achieve a cleaner, safer and smarter transportation future, the direct involvement of senior industry leaders on our board is a huge advantage when it comes to realizing key industry priorities and investment,” John Bozzella, CEO of the alliance, said in the statement.
“I am looking forward to working with Kumar as we build on the accomplishments of our association,” Bozzella continued, “and I appreciate Chris’s and the Toyota team’s strong leadership through 2021 as we navigated a remarkably challenging environment.”
