Faraday Future, the Los Angeles electric-vehicle startup founded by Chinese entrepreneur Jia Yueting, has recruited Chen Xuefeng, a former senior executive at Jaguar Land Rover’s China joint venture, as CEO of China operations.
Chen is “a critical hire” who will help the company realize its “U.S.-China dual home strategy” and will “accelerate the implementation” of business operations in China, Faraday’s global CEO Carsten Breitfeld, said in a statement Wednesday.
Chen, 45, was previously executive vice president at Chery Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Co., JLR’s partnership with state-owned Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co.
Faraday this week said it completed the second season of winter testing and validation for the pre-production version of its first product, the FF 91 electric crossover, in Baudette, Minn., and Flat Rock, Mich.
Faraday plans to produce the FF91 at a plant in Hanford, Calif. It expects to launch sales in the United States in the first half of 2022.
The company in January signed a contract manufacturing agreement with the largest private Chinese automaker, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, to build vehicles in China.