Tesla is looking for a lead designer for the Chinese market, several sources say to the news agency Reuters. With a design studio specifically aimed at the Chinese market, the brand wants to better tailor its cars to the taste of the Asian country.
The new designer must have 20 years of experience in the profession and be able to ‘build a bridge between China and America’. According to the sources, Franz von Holzhausen, the design chief at Tesla, has already interviewed several people, but it is not clear who they are. The lead designer is said to lead a 20-person design studio. The aim is to create new designs that will appeal to Chinese consumers. However, the technical part of the design still takes place in America, but the cars roll off the line in Shanghai.
The Chinese market is important to Tesla. Last year, the brand sold around 145,000 cars, just under a third of total sales. However, Tesla has to work to be able to compete against the increasing competition from Chinese car brands. One of the first cars Tesla will tune in the Chinese market is a compact hatchback that will be placed under the Model 3. This type will most likely also come to Europe. Because they are aiming for a production start in 2022, it seems unlikely that the yet to be established design studio will have any influence on the design of the hatchback. The first ‘Chinese Tesla’ will probably take a while.