In this role, Cristian Prichea will coordinate the importer’s development strategy on the local market, managing an extensive portfolio of brands that includes the Stellantis, Leapmotor, and Chery brands.
Cristian Prichea is succeeding Adrian Narcis Ghita who had run Auto Italia for 12 years and will continue to support the company as Special Advisor within the Group’s Management Board. Under the leadership of Adrian Narcis Ghita, the company consolidated its position on the Romanian market and expanded its portfolio by integrating the Leapmotor and Chery brands.
Cristian Prichea boasts over 17 years of experience in the automotive industry, holding coordination roles at European level at Ford Motor Company in Köln, as Managing Director at Ford National Sales Company in Romania, and as CEO of SPARK in Romania. He also held strategic roles within the groups Geely, Lynk & Co. and Zeekr, where he coordinated launch and development strategies on the local market.
Auto Italia, with over 30 years of experience in the import, distribution and sale of vehicles and post-sales services, is fully owned by Israel’s Samelet Group since 2011. In September 2024, Leapmotor International designated Auto Italia, through the subsidiary Auto Green Motor, as exclusive importer of the Leapmotor brand in Romania. In April 2025, the Group also became the official importer of the Chery brand.