Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has announced a series of significant changes to its European organizational structure, which will take effect from January 1, 2026. These key appointments not only reshuffle the leadership positions in the subsidiaries where it produces cars for the Old Continent, in Spain and Turkey, but also strengthen the parent company's focus on commercial strategy, hydrogen technologies and electronics development.
Amid large-scale organizational restructuring at competitors such as Stellantis and a number of Chinese manufacturers, Toyota confirms four important internal appointments, two of which are directly related to its foreign operations.
The changes at the Spanish subsidiary are significant. Francisco Berrocal has been appointed CEO of Toyota Spain, effective from the beginning of 2026. Berrocal, who has been Toyota Spain's sales director since 2024, succeeds Miguel Carci.
Carci himself will not leave the group, but will take a leadership position at The Hydrogen Factory – TME's new division focused on fuel cells and hydrogen technologies. The move underscores the growing strategic importance of hydrogen for Toyota in Europe.
There is also a change at the top at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey. Murat Bulbul will become the plant's CEO, succeeding the retiring Erdoğan Şahin. Bulbul's appointment is a testament to the loyalty and expertise within the group – He has 30 years of experience at Toyota and will continue to serve as the plant's chief financial officer until the end of 2025.
In addition to the reshuffles at foreign branches, Toyota Motor Europe is also making two key internal promotions in its central management:
Leonardo Carluccio has been appointed Vice President “Commercial Strategy and Efficiency“ at TME. Carluccio, who joined the group 14 years ago, brings with him a wealth of experience from Lexus Europe, where he spent over ten years in sales, product and network development.
Thierry Boitel has been promoted to Vice President of Research and Development (R&D). This research center, created in 2024, focuses on connected technologies and electronics. Boitel, who previously headed up Electronics Engineering (since 2018), succeeds the retiring Gerald Kilman. The appointment of an engineer to this key position underlines Toyota’s strategic priority to develop its in-house competencies in automotive electronics.
These changes demonstrate Toyota Motor Europe’s active preparation for the challenges of 2026, relying on experienced internal talent and a strategic refocus on key areas of the future: hydrogen, digitalization and market efficiency.