Chris Craft has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Porsche Cars effective from April 1 2012. He succeeds Geoff Turral, who leaves the company at the end of March.

The Reading-based 100% subsidiary of Porsche AG is responsible for the Porsche business in Great Britain and Ireland, as well as owning the Porsche Retail Group which operates five Porsche Centres in the south of England.

Felix Bräutigam, director region Europe, said: “Great Britain is the fourth biggest market for Porsche and a very important sports car market for us. We are happy to have found an experienced automotive manager with an in-depth knowledge of this market.”

Following responsibilities at Rover, 52 year old Craft has held various senior management positions at Volkswagen Group UK including his current role since 2008, as director of the Volkswagen brand in the UK.