Indian American Kumar Galhotra Named President of Ford Blue, the Company’s Internal-Combustion Business
- Since joining the company in 1988, the 55-year-old was most recently president of the company’s Americas & International Markets Group.
The Ford Motor Company has appointed Kumar Galhotra as president of Ford Blue, its internal-combustion business, effective March 2. Before this role, the India-born Galhotra was president of the company’s Americas & International Markets Group.
The appointment comes after the automaker split its electric vehicle and internal combustion operations into two individual businesses to accelerate its adaptation of new technology, the Associated Press reported. “Ford Blue will provide hardware engineering and manufacturing capabilities for the entire company,” the report said. Both divisions will be run out of Dearborn, Michigan, “the automaker’s longtime home,” the report added.
Since joining the company in 1988, the 55-year-old has served in various positions in product development and product strategy and has risen in the ranks. He most recently served as president, North America, leading all aspects of Ford’s North American business, a position he was named to in 2018.
Before that, he was group vice president, Lincoln and chief marketing officer for Ford Motor Company, a position he was named to in 2017. He also led the company’s Marketing function and efforts to connect more closely with customers by identifying new opportunities to serve them. His focus included shifting investments towards product categories that played to the company’s strengths and developing more effective brand communications including digital services, mobility and autonomy.
The Detroit Free Press described Galhotra as “down-to-earth, but a big-deal executive hiding in plain sight.”
In a profile on Galhotra, The Detroit Free Press described him as “down-to-earth, but a big-deal executive hiding in plain sight.”
Before Lincoln, Galhotra was vice president, Engineering, a position he assumed on Aug. 1, 2013. In this global role, Galhotra was responsible for the engineering of all cars, trucks, SUVs and crossover vehicles for Ford and Lincoln brands. Galhotra became vice president, Product Development for the Asia Pacific and Africa in 2009. He was appointed a corporate officer on June 1, 2012.
Among the assignments, he led the introduction of the Ford Ranger into South American markets in 1998; was the chief engineer for the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner in the early 2000s; and was vehicle programs director for five vehicle lines in the mid-2000s. In addition, his team oversaw the development of the all-new global compact pickup truck, the Ford Ranger.
Between 2005 and 2008, he was assigned to Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima, where he was responsible for program management and product planning worldwide.
Galhotra, who grew up in India, has a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.