PIERRE LECLERCQ SUCCEEDS MARK ADAMS AS VAUXHALL HEAD OF DESIGN

• Pierre Leclercq to lead Vauxhall and Opel design with immediate effect
• Mark Adams to retire after almost 25 years with Vauxhall and Opel

Pierre Leclercq has been appointed Head of Design for Vauxhall and Opel with immediate effect. Leclercq succeeds Mark Adams, who is retiring after almost 25 years with the company. Leclercq will continue to report to Florian Huettl, CEO, Opel-Vauxhall, and Gilles Vidal, Stellantis Head of Design for European Brands.  Until now, the 54-year-old Belgian national has served as Head of Design for Citroën. In this role, he helped strengthen the brand’s identity and supported the renewal of its product range.

Florian Huettl, Opel-Vauxhall CEO, commented: “I would like to thank Mark Adams for his commitment, inspiration, and service for almost a quarter of a century. Mark served as Vice President Design longer than any of his predecessors. His work and vision have shaped what Vauxhall and Opel are today. We wish him the very best for his well-deserved retirement. At the same time, we’re delighted to welcome Pierre Leclercq as Head of Design. His global background and vision are tremendous assets in supporting the evolution of Vauxhall and Opel.”

Gilles Vidal, Stellantis Head of Design for European Brands, said: “Pierre has a deep understanding of brand identity and a recognised ability to translate strategic vision into desirable products. His experience, creativity, and high standards will be invaluable assets in continuing the development of Vauxhall and Opel Design, reinforcing their unique positions within the UK and European markets. I would also like to warmly thank Mark Adams for his contribution to the development of Vauxhall and Opel Design. His work has helped shape the modern face of the brands and strengthen their personality over the past years. We wish him all the best for this new chapter in his life.”

Pierre Leclercq graduated from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, in 1998. He began his career at Ford’s Ghia design studio in Italy before joining BMW Group in 2000. Over the following decade, he worked on the iconic British brands of MINI and Rolls-Royce, as well as BMW, before being appointed Head of Design for BMW M, the brand’s high-performance division, in 2011.

He subsequently pursued an international career, becoming Head of Design at Great Wall Motors in China in 2013, before joining Kia Motors in South Korea as Design Director in 2017. On the 1^st November 2018, he became Head of Citroën Design.

Since then, Pierre Leclercq has helped shape a renewed design identity for the Citroën line-up. He has led the design of a broad range of models and concepts, including Citroën’s 2CV and 2CV Fourgonnette concepts unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, ELO, OLI, C3 and C3 Aircross, Ami, C4 and C4 X, and New C5 Aircross.

Mark Adams has had a long and stellar career in the automotive industry for over 40 years. Born and raised in the UK, Adams studied mechanical engineering before going on to complete his master’s degree in automotive design from the Royal College of Art in London. After already holding various Chief Designer and Executive positions at Ford in Europe and the US, he joined Vauxhall and Opel in 2002 as Director of Exterior Design to spearhead the development of a new design philosophy. He was promoted to Vice President of Design in 2007 and has led all production and concept vehicles since then. These include many production vehicles such as the Corsa, ADAM, Mokka, Astra, and Insignia, as well as some inspirational and iconic concepts like the 2003 Insignia Concept, 2013 Monza Concept, 2016 GT Concept, and the 2018 GTX Experimental, a car that heavily inspired the current-generation Mokka.

Adams has also been the driving force behind Vauxhall’s ‘Bold and Pure’ design language, which was started back in 2017 and introduced the Vauxhall ‘Vizor’ brand face, the Vauxhall ‘Compass’ and the interior ‘Pure Panel’, which have now been rolled out to every vehicle within the Vauxhall portfolio.

More recently, he has been developing an ambitious evolution of Vauxhall’s exterior and interior design language. This exterior design is visible on Vauxhall’s most recent concept car, the STX Concept, which celebrated its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show and shows the future progression of ‘Bold and Pure’, which will influence future Vauxhall models.

ENDS

ABOUT VAUXHALL MOTORS

Vauxhall Motors started making cars in the UK in 1903. Today, as the oldest and most familiar of Britain’s automotive manufacturers, its philosophy is to build vehicles that are relevant to all and offer design, high levels of equipment and technology, and electrification at an attainable level. Vauxhall is one of few automotive brands to produce electric vehicles in Britain at its manufacturing plant in Ellesmere Port – the UK’s first electric-only manufacturing plant where the Combo Electric van is made. Vauxhall’s Electric Streets of Britain campaign raises the profile of the need for more on-street electric vehicle charging so that everyone can benefit from the switch to electric. Find out more at www.electricstreets.co.uk

Vauxhall is proud to be the official automotive partner of Team GB. The partnership sees Britain's most loved sports team and one of Britain’s most recognisable automotive brands joining forces, with Vauxhall supporting athletes as they prepare for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Vauxhall is part of Stellantis NV, a global leader created for the new era of sustainable mobility as a result of the merger between Groupe PSA and FCA Group in January 2021. Vauxhall is a leader in electrification – as of 2021, it was one of the first manufacturers to offer fully electric versions of all its vans. Since the end of 2024, Vauxhall has offered a fully electric version of every model in its car and van line-up. Info: www.vauxhall.co.uk