LONDON, Feb. 2, 2023 – Zapp Electric Vehicles Limited (“Zapp” or the “Company”), a UK-based high-performance two-wheel electric vehicle company, has appointed Graham Lusby as its new Head of Aftersales, Europe. Lusby joins Zapp after eight years at McLaren Automotive Ltd, where he held various senior positions including, most recently, Regional Aftersales Manager United Kingdom.
Lusby’s focus will be to implement Zapp’s innovative drop-ship-direct-to-customer (DSDTC) sales model which kicks off with Zapp’s debut vehicle, the i300 electric performance city bike. The DSDTC platform focuses on customer convenience through a “we come to you” model; once a customer has ordered their i300, the bike will be delivered to an address of their choice by a “Zapper”, a franchised and trained technician, in a Zapper van.
A trained “Zapper” will introduce the bike to the customer to make vehicle handover as simple, efficient and convenient as possible. A Zapper will also come to the customer’s chosen address – whether at home, work or elsewhere – to perform routine servicing on-site, so the bike does not have to leave the customer’s location. For more time-consuming servicing requirements, a Zapper will pick the bike up from the customer, then return it directly after service has been completed. All Zapper vans will carry a full toolkit and spare parts inventory.
Graham Lusby, new Head of Aftersales, Europe, at Zapp, said: “I am incredibly excited to be joining a forward-thinking and innovative company like Zapp. My immediate focus is to roll out the drop-ship-direct-to-customer service, which is part of Zapp’s commitment to make buying, receiving and owning an i300 as fuss-free and enjoyable as possible. The days of booking appointments at dealerships and then being left without a vehicle while the work is carried out are over. This is just one way in which Zapp thinks out of the box, I’m honoured to be part of the team on this exciting journey.”
During his eight years at McLaren Automotive, Graham held a number of senior positions, including Regional Aftersales Manager (Middle East and Latin America), Regional Aftersales Manager (Western Europe) and Regional Aftersales Manager (United Kingdom). Graham was integral to the operational improvement and development of 29 McLaren retailers across multiple regions. Graham joined McLaren as Global Technical Support Specialist in 2014 and supported the global launch of the McLaren P1.
David McIntyre, Chief Commercial Officer at Zapp, said: “We are very pleased to welcome someone of Graham’s talent and ability to the Zapp family. Graham shares our values and perspectives and, crucially, understands that in today’s busy world customers expect ease of ownership and convenience, especially from a premium company such as Zapp.”
Proposed Business Combination
On November 22, 2022, Zapp and CIIG Capital Partners II, Inc., a U.S. publicly-listed blank check company (Nasdaq: CIIG) (“CIIG II”), announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement (the “Merger Agreement”). Upon closing of the transaction contemplated by the Merger Agreement (the “Business Combination”), the combined company, Zapp Electric Vehicles Group Limited (“Pubco”), a Cayman Islands exempted company, is expected to list its ordinary shares on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “ZAPP”. The Business Combination is expected to close in the first half of 2023, subject to stockholder approvals and other customary closing conditions.
