Last week it was revealed Tesla may be releasing a $25,000 electric vehicle (EV) much sooner than everyone thought. According to a report from China, the automaker has already approved a smaller EV that was specifically designed for the Chinese market, and it could begin production next year.
Now according to three sources familiar with the matter, Tesla is on the hunt for a design director for a “full-function” Design Center in Beijing or Shanghai (via Reuters).
Those same sources say human resources managers and headhunters have been at it for a while, seeking applicants for the past four months.
That search has already resulted in several interviews held with Tesla’s chief designer and fast-pitch phenom Franz von Holzhausen. It was unclear how many candidates have already been interviewed.
When Musk was on hand to personally deliver the first made-in-China Model 3’s last year, he made the surprise announcement that he wanted to hire a team of designer and engineers to create new, original electric vehicles (EVs).
“I think something that would be super cool would be to create a China design and engineering centre to actually design an original car in China for worldwide consumption. I think this would be very exciting,” said Musk.
Tesla followed through by beginning to hire for the China Design Center later in the year, the first of its kind for the automaker outside the US.
