LCV guru Richard Chamberlain has joined SAIC as Maxus country manager for the UK & Ireland, supporting work to grow the brand.
Chamberlain brings nearly 25 years of experience with UK automotive brands and was most recently at Stellantis where he was LCV director and country manager for Fiat Professional.
In his new role, he will work with Harris Group, which distributes the Maxus brand across right-hand drive Europe, providing support to help develop the network and brand.
Richard Chamberlain added: “This is a great opportunity to join an exciting and growing brand that is leading the industry with a wide portfolio of electric products and significant traction in a number of sectors. I’m looking forward to working closely and supporting the Harris Maxus brand as we embark on the next stage of the journey.”
The appointment comes at a time of sustained growth for the Maxus brand and supports work by SAIC Maxus to strengthen its position on the ground in Europe and appoint various country managers.
Maxus continues to grow its profile in the UK. Between July 2022 and July 2023 there were more than 196,916 LCVs registered in the UK, with Maxus capturing a 1.13% market share.
The brand has a particular focus on EVs – which accounted for more than half (55%) of its UK registrations over the past 12 months and are proving particularly popular with companies in the grocery, delivery and pharmaceutical sectors.
Its electric van line-up now includes the eDeliver 3 and eDeliver 9, along with the newly launched eDeliver 7, which targets the one-tonne payload van sector in the UK. In 2022, Harris Maxus also debuted the T90EV, the UK’s first all-electric pickup, as well as the MIFA 9 fully electric MPV, while the Harris Maxus network in the UK has more than 70 dealers now.
SAIC bought the rights to former UK van maker LDV in 2010, reviving the brand and adopting the Maxus moniker, which was later rolled out for right-hand drive markets too.
