A British carmaker has announced the appointment of a new chief executive.

Caterham Group, which builds and distributes its niche two-seater sports cars, has promoted Graham MacDonald to the post following the exit of Ansar Ali.

A former Lotus executive, Ansar headed Caterham Cars since a management buy-in in 2005.

Caterham said Ali has now decided to "move on to new challenges" and thanked him for the integral role he played in building the business into a globally respected sports car brand.

Tony Fernandes, Caterham Group chairman, said: “I want to take this chance to thank Ansar for everything he has done for the Caterham brand over many years. Without his leadership Caterham Cars would not be the world renowned, profitable business it is today and we would almost certainly not be working under the Caterham name if he had not initiated the discussions with us that led to the enviable position Caterham finds itself in today.

“Now we move on to the next phase of the expansion of Caterham Group and Caterham Cars. Graham is the perfect person to take over and lead the company and his experience and dedication will help us make a smooth transition into the next chapter of the Caterham Cars story.”