Nikola Corporation has announced that Michael Lohscheller has been named President of Nikola Motor. Reporting to CEO Mark Russell and supported by the team that is already on the ground, he will be responsible for scaling Nikola’s global truck business.”Michael Lohscheller brings several decades of direct automotive industry expertise to our already accomplished leadership team at Nikola. His role will be immediately pivotal as the Nikola Tre BEV moves into production, and as we continue to achieve development milestones for the Nikola Tre FCEV,” said Nikola Chief Executive Officer Mark Russell.
Lohscheller’s career has included roles in finance, technology, purchasing and logistics at Volkswagen, before becoming Volkswagen Group of America Executive Vice President. Lohscheller was named CEO of Opel, both under GM and Stellantis ownership. Most recently Lohscheller served as CEO of VinFast, the global electric automotive brand from Vietnam.
“As Nikola moves into global production, an experienced and respected industry veteran like Michael strengthens the Nikola team,” said Stephen Girsky, Nikola Corporation board chair. “He knows his way around the manufacturing floors, board rooms and showrooms and has worked with the latest technologies throughout his career. We are pleased to welcome Michael to the team.”
“It goes without saying that hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric zero-emission vehicles are the future of mobility, and I am extremely proud to be joining a company that is paving the way for this global transformation,” said Lohscheller. “My career has prepared me well to achieve the ambitious milestones needed to make this happen.”
Michael Lohscheller graduated from Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and the University of Barcelona (Spain) in 1992. During his working years, Lohscheller completed a Master’s Program in European Marketing Management and obtained his M.A. at Brunel University London in 1996.
Past positions include Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Mitsubishi Motors Europe, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Volkswagen Group of America, Chief Executive Officer at Opel Automobile GmbH and Member of the Board at PSA Group and Global CEO of VinFast.