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Members of development team for BMW i3 and i8 defect to Chinese startup

Posted by & filed under Newswire, The Vehicles.

BMW i3

The Wall Street Journal reports that three key executives from the BMW i EV team have left the Bavarian automaker to join Future Mobility Corp, a Chinese startup backed by Tencent Holdings.

Carsten Breitfeld, a 20-year BMW veteran who developed the i8 plug-in sports car, left BMW last month to become CEO of Future Mobility. Now it seems that three other members of BMW’s i sub-brand have followed.

Dirk Abendroth, who developed electric powertrains for the i series, Benoit Jacob, head of design at BMW i, and Henrik Wenders, head of BMW i product management, will take up positions at Future Mobility, the WSJ reports, citing unnamed people “familiar with the situation.” BMW declined to comment.

 

Source: Wall Street Journal

  • John McVicker

    My wife saw an i3 today for the first time. Visually, was terribly turned off by what it looked like. Some people are dog people. Some people are “pug” people. But not all dog people are pug people.

  • Barbar

    Would you like to continue working under your old boss or help us put him out of business?

    [some people don’t have to be asked twice]