Giti Tire appoints senior manager automotive engineering Europe OE

Giti Tire has appointed Lars Ohnsorge as senior manager automotive engineering Europe OE. The company said the appointment of the experienced tyre professional would further strengthen its original equipment operations, following the recruitment of Nicolas Kluson as key account manager Europe OE in April, with both providing in-depth technical support and direction from the company’s European R&D Center in Hannover, Germany. Giti said its new OE team will immediately focus on the manufacturer’s existing OE relationships with BMW Group, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), VW Group (Audi, Seat, Skoda, VW) and VW Commercial Vehicles as well as introduce the Giti brand and business philosophy to other key vehicle manufacturers.

Ohnsorge joins from Kumho Tire Europe where he held the title of senior manager automotive engineering from 2018–2022. He has held several other OE-focused positions too. From 2011–2018 he was senior manager European OE / head of automotive engineering at the Nexen Tire Europe Technical Center. Prior to that, he worked as key account manager OE for Daimler, AMG and Smart at Bridgestone Germany.

Chris Bloor, international sales and marketing director for Giti Tire, said: “Lars’ incredible technical knowledge, and contacts throughout the industry, will be a huge asset in our OE programme and will be vital as we move from nomination to serial production across several projects.

“Alongside Nicolas we have created a very knowledgeable, gifted and dedicated OE team who will be supported not just by the European R&D Centre, but by all our teams worldwide to make sure we achieve our local business goals. The future is looking very bright.”

Lars Ohnsorge added: “The technical knowledge within the global Giti Tire network is amazing, with literally dozens-and-dozens of OE fitments across all continents proving the capabilities of our tyres, manufacturing plants, delivery and finance systems.

“I am genuinely looking forward to playing a big role in making sure our European OE operations become a prominent player in the passenger car market, and I can guarantee you will see significantly more placement announcements in the coming months and years.”