Renowned former automotive designer of BMW Group, Kevin Rice, has been confirmed to officially join Chinese automaker Chery Automobiles from October 1 as Vice President and Global Chief of vehicle design.
Related: Former Rolls Royce Design Director Joins FAW as Global Vice President of Design
Kevin Rice graduated from England’s Coventry University in 1986 with a degree in industrial engineering design. Boasting a rich working career, he had been successively hired by I.DE.A Institute, Italdesign, Opel, Saab, Ford Motor, BMW Group and Mazda, etc. Besides, he had also worked as a freelance designer in Japan.
At BMW Group, Rice had been responsible for the exterior design of such models as the BMW 1 Series, the 2011 BMW 3 Series, the 2013 BMW 4 Series and the 2013 BMW 3GT. When he served as Mazda Europe design director, he devoted energy to build the Mazda MX-5, the CX-3, the Koeru, the RX Vision and the MX-5 RF.
Chery has been spreading roots in overseas markets with its North American R&D center completed and the European R&D center under construction. In the significant period, the China-based automaker needs experts to coordinate the product design and development across global markets. Kevin Rice’s participation is in tune with Chery’s global development strategy.
Related: World Famous Designers Now Designing Chinese Cars
Chinese automakers have been rapidly hiring renowned automakers to lead their design departments. Just recently former Rolls Royce designer Giles Taylor has joined FAW as the “Global Vice President of Design, and Zotye Automobiles has hired veteran car designer Anthony Williams-Kenny from MG, the British automotive marque currently owned by SAIC Motor Corporation of China.
Some of the big names now working for Chinese automakers include Peter Horbury, former Volvo design chief who now heads Geely’s design department, Wolfgang Egger has left Audi to join BYD, Dimitri Vicedomini left Pininfarina to join Brilliance, Andreas Deufel left Mercedes-Benz to join Great Wall Motors, Hakan Saracoglu left Porsche to join Chery and Peter Arcadipane left Mercedes-Benz to join BAIC, to name a few.
Related: Filippo Perini- Man Behind the Sensational FAW A50
Furthermore renowned designer Chris Bangle works closely with Changan, whereas Filippo Perini, former Lamborghini designer has also been working with FAW on a couple of projects including the FAW A50 sedan and CX65 Wagon.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
