Goodwood-based Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com) has appointed a new director of engineering.

Mihiar Ayoubi was head of concepts, architectures and integration at BMW, having previously led departments
in acoustics and vibration, dynamics development, chassis control systems, drivetrain development, all-wheel drive and driver assistance systems.

Having been involved in the engineering concept for the New Phantom, he is also familiar with Rolls-Royce vehicles. Of Syrian descent, he moved to Germany in 1985 to study engineering, joining the BMW Group in 1997.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “Mihiar is an exceptionally talented engineer and follows in the esteemed footsteps of the company’s founding father and first engineer, Sir Henry Royce.”