"However, the decision to make that public lies with the company not with me," Kabfell told FT Deutchsland today.

Kabfell only took over at Rolls-Royce from previous incumbent, Tony Gott, back in May, as BMW attempted to shake up poor sales from the name it acquired in January 2003.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom, the first new model to be built by the luxury carmaker under German ownership, is expected to miss this year's targets by as much as 40 percent. To Italian enthusiasts, bred on a lifetime of style and panache, the Phantom can comfortably be described as a lumbering, and hideously ugly motor car.

Kabfell identified an over-reliance on the brand's image and implemented a fresh marketing push. He has also considered for production the 100EX prototype shown in Geneva earlier this year, as well as both a "stretched" and convertible version of the Phantom.

"A hundred years of history can work for you but it has also worked against us a bit," he recently commented. "This is one of the most modern cars in the world and we've had to work hard to get people to look past the history and its problems."

54-year-old Kabfell has had a long, uninterrupted career with BMW, after joining them in 1977, most recently as senior Vice-President of group marketing, prior to his appointment less that six months ago to the Rolls-Royce job.

He has a previous spell with Rolls-Royce in 1998 when BMW bought the brand from UK-based Industrial group Vickers. He was appointed project director for the development of the Phantom, estimated to have costed around GBP600 million, and to oversee the smooth transition into the all-new Goodwood factory. He returned to Germany when Gott, 48, was appointed CEO.

Alfa Romeo has seen its sales decline over the last two years, a position that Fiat Auto find alarming, considering that the 'sporty' brand should be one of the carmaker's strongest players, leading the way in efforts to return the industrial giant to profitability. Especially so as both Fiat Auto, and the much weaker Lancia brand, have reported strong growth this year.

Daniele Bandiera's performance is regarded by financial analysts as having been somewhat lackluster, and they are keen to see a change that would bring out the true value of the marque, through more rigorous marketing of what is perceived as a strong product.

This is Kalbfell's specialist area, whereas Bandiera has risen through the manufacturing side, an experience which has become less relevant since the business units had their manufacturing operations recently centralised.

Bandiera, 47, is currently the titular head of Brand and Commercial development for Alfa Romeo. His 21-year long career with Fiat Auto has seen him ascend the ladder in the areas of manufacturing and platforms.

He became President of the Alfa Romeo Business Unit in 2002. Since the recent dissolution of the units by Herbert Demel, he retains responsibility for branding and marketing.