Putin grants Russian citizenship to Pierre Leclerc, the ex-BMW designer behind the X5 and X6
Belgian designer Pierre Leclerc has been granted Russian citizenship, according to a decree issued by Vladimir Putin.
Leclerc is a former designer at BMW, where he designed the X5 and X6 SUVs.
From 2013 to 2017, he headed the design department at the Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors, where he oversaw projects such as the Haval H6 SUV. He later worked for South Korea’s Kia Motors before moving to France’s Citroën, where he still leads the design department.
It is not known why he decided to obtain a Russian passport.
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