The Chinese EV maker Nio has hired senior designers from Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen Group as it seeks to expand its product offerings and enter the European market.
Joaquin Garcia becomes a senior design director at Nio's Munich design studio after almost six years at VW Group's Seat and another five at Skoda.
Jaguar Land Rover's Alister Whelan has also been named a senior design director at the Munich studio after 21 years at the UK automaker.
Both executives started their new positions Oct. 1 and report to Nio design director Kris Tomasson.
"For Nio to attract the caliber, creativity and reputation that both Alister and Joaquin enjoy gives me immense satisfaction at just how far we have come in a very short space of time," Tomasson said in a statement on Monday.
The two executives will "deliver our promise for an exceptional user experience," Tomasson added.