Stellantis’s incoming Chief Monetary Officer Natalie Knight says determining China is essential for the automaker due to the nation’s significance within the shift to electrical automobiles.

China and Asia as an entire symbolize a “nice alternative,” additionally in terms of working with the area’s automakers, Knight mentioned Thursday on a name with reporters.

She joins the automaker on July 10.

“In contrast to a few of our different areas, the place now we have obtained a primary or two place with nearly all of the manufacturers within the portfolio, this can be a spot the place there’s a whole lot of alternative,” Knight mentioned. “There have additionally been some actual classes realized as a corporation.”

Stellantis has been struggling on the earth’s largest automobile market, prompting CEO Carlos Tavares to think about stopping manufacturing there as Western nameplates cede market share.

The automaker final yr flagged the potential for implementing an “asset-light” technique for its Citroen and Peugeot manufacturers in China after utilizing the identical phrase to explain a call to tug out from its solely Jeep plant within the nation.

Knight, up till now the CFO of Dutch retailer Royal Ahold Delhaize, mentioned she has gathered expertise with China in a number of of her earlier roles, together with for sports-apparel maker Adidas.

The chief will probably be based mostly in Auburn Hills, Michigan, overseeing Stellantis’s funds as the corporate makes an attempt a pricey EV shift.

Her feedback could also be a sign that Stellantis is softening its stance on China. Tavares on Wednesday made equally nuanced remarks, telling reporters he wish to see extra cooperation between the West and China.

“We aren’t in a conflict with any Chinese language provider,” he mentioned. “We’re collaborating on expertise, we’re collaborating on provide and we’re collaborating in creating correctly balanced JVs with them.”