Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
China’s tech giant Xiaomi has hired Jean-Arthur Madelaine-Advenier, former Head of Interior Design at Polestar, as the new Design Studio Director for its electric vehicle (EV) division.
This hire comes as Xiaomi continues working on the SUV, its second model, while scaling up its production, having delivered over 10,000 vehicles in June alone.
On LinkedIn, Madelaine-Advenier posted, “I am happy to share with you that I have been named as Design Studio Director for Xiaomi Technology EV, and I am looking for exceptional talents (Exterior, Interior, Product, …) to join me for this great adventure in Munich”.
Reflecting on his time at Polestar, Madelaine-Advenier expressed heartfelt gratitude: “Polestar, my team, Sweden: you will always have a special place in my heart. Special shoutout to Thomas Ingenlath & Maximilian Missoni for this epic journey!”
In a recent blog post on Polestar’s website, the French designer highlighted the distinct advantages of designing for electric vehicles (EVs) over internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
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“The electric car platform offers great advantages, particularly in the interior spaces. Compared to the internal combustion engine, the e-architecture allows us to extend the wheelbase length for better passenger accessibility, and we are able to increase legroom in the second row,” Madelaine-Advenier stated.
Madelaine-Advenier joined Polestar, a Geely-owned brand, in July 2022, following nearly three years as Head of Interior Design at Stellantis Group. His career also includes a brief tenure as a Senior Designer at Tesla in 2014, followed by an eight-year stint at the French automaker Citroen.
Xiaomi has been ramping up its production efforts, implementing double shifts at its car factory since early June. The company’s annual production target has recently been increased from 100,000 to 120,000 units.
Shortly after the SU7 launch event, Jun noted that the sales volume exceeded expectations by “three to five times,” presenting both a boost and a challenge.
Xiaomi CEO says the great demand is also a “headache” despite enhancing that the “partners are relatively strong” and that “the [production] ramp up has been very fast”.
During the launch event of the SU7, Jun expressed Xiaomi’s vision for a seamlessly connected ecosystem, where human interaction with cars and homes creates a unified smart living experience.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
