Ali Aydin Pandir has been appointed the new CEO of Tofaş, stepping into the position held by Alfredo Altavilla who has recently taken over as the CEO of Fiat Powertrain Developments.

The experienced 51-year-old Ali Aydin Pandir is a Turkish engineering graduate who arrives at Tofaş from General Motors where he has been employed for 15 years, his last position being the chief of the US carmaker's operations in Indonesia, with particular responsibility for the firm's Isuzu brand. Tofaş (Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi) is a Fiat Auto joint venture company with Turkish conglomerate Koç Holdings. Its Bursa plant is the global assembly point for the Doblò light commercial van range, and in a growing sign of the importance of the operation to Fiat's strategic future plans, the new C-segment Linea saloon has been developed by Tofas and its first production line will be in Turkey. Tofas is also heading the development of a new small van in partnership with PSA Peugeot-Citroën, the project is codenamed "Minicargo".

The highly regarded Alfredo Altavilla was recently appointed as CEO of Fiat Powertrain Technologies, the organisation which looks after Fiat Auto's engine and transmission development and production. The 44-year-old replaced 60-year-old Domenico Bordone who stepped down and left Fiat. Altavilla is also the head of Fiat Business Development and has been responsible for signing the swage of joint venture agreements that Fiat Auto entered into with a string of other carmakers over the past two years.
 

Altavilla is regarded as one of the current hot favourites for the Auto Division CEO position which will become vacant next year when Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne steps down from the position he at present holds on a temporary basis. Altavilla last year won the important AutoBest "Man of the Year 2005" award for his "continuing and strong commitment to the development of Group activities in Poland, Turkey, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro." The jury of AutoBest is always made up of renown automotive journalists drawn from the Eastern European and Balkan countries.

At the same time 48-year-old Italian Paolo Martinelli has joined Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT) as head of petrol engine development. This is an important strategic position as Fiat Auto is now focusing on rolling out a whole new range of new petrol engines, from a tiny 900cc two-cylinder turbo unit which incorporates Multiair technology and a 1.4 16v turbo which are destined for forthcoming Fiat models such as the Bravo and 500, to an all-new V6 engine for Alfa Romeo, which will have a capacity range between 3.0- and 3.0-litres. Martinelli arrives at FPT straight from the Ferrari F1 team where he has been in charge of the engine department. He has been responsible for development of this year's brand-new 2.4-litre V8 engine which under new FIA rule changes replaced the outgoing 3.0-litre V10 units, and which has been regarded as one of the strongest components in the Ferrari F1 package.