Xiaomi has really poached the designer of the Porsche Taycan.

The designers of Xiaomi cars have even recruited from super - car companies.

Recently, Fabian Schmölz, the former chief exterior designer of Lamborghini, made new news. He left Lamborghini and quickly joined Xiaomi, responsible for the exterior design planning of Xiaomi cars.

Even earlier, he was a senior designer at Porsche for many years. He participated in the design of many classic models, including the 718 Boxster and the Taycan prototype.

This is also Xiaomi's effort in recruiting top - notch designers. According to incomplete statistics, Xiaomi has recruited at least 9 talents from European luxury brands, including BMW, Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini.

You can probably guess what new nicknames Xiaomi cars will get in the future.

Lamborghini's Chief Exterior Designer Joins Xiaomi Cars

On his LinkedIn profile, Fabian Schmölz changed his employer to Xiaomi, confirming his official employment.

His new workplace is in Munich, Germany, where Xiaomi's European R & D center is located. His position at Xiaomi is Head of Exterior Design, responsible for the design requirements of Xiaomi cars in the European market and participating in the exterior design planning of models.

Fabian's previous job was Chief Exterior Designer at Lamborghini.

He designed the exterior of Lamborghini's second HPEV, Temerario, and the Lanzador concept super - car.

Data shows that Fabian joined Xiaomi in April this year. Judging from his shared updates, he joined Xiaomi right after leaving Lamborghini.

At the end of May this year, Fabian Schmölz visited China. He visited several Xiaomi car experience centers and attended the 15th - anniversary strategic new product launch of Xiaomi.

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Even earlier, his first job was at Porsche, where he stayed for nearly 8 years.

During this period, Fabian worked his way up from an intern and junior exterior designer to Senior Exterior Designer.

The models he participated in designing include the Porsche 911 (992 ST), 718 Boxster, Porsche's first virtual concept car Vision GT, and the Taycan prototype - Mission E, among many other classic models.

From his sketches, we can see that Fabian's design style features sharp lines and strong muscularity.

With his participation in the exterior design planning, future Xiaomi cars will probably have a stronger "super - car flavor".

It's only been about a year and a half since Xiaomi started selling cars, but the number of talents recruited from European luxury brands could probably form a baseball team.

Xiaomi Recruits at Least 9 Talents from Luxury Brands

In April this year, it was reported that Xiaomi had established a R & D and design center in Europe, assembling an elite team of less than 50 people. The center is located in Munich, Germany - right at the doorstep of BMW's headquarters.

Since then, news of new talents joining Xiaomi has emerged regularly.

According to public information, including Fabian who recently joined, at least 9 talents in Xiaomi's team come from traditional European luxury brands.

They are from BMW, Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini.

The most well - known is Li Tianyuan, the current chief designer of Xiaomi cars.

He used to be a senior exterior design expert for the i - series at BMW's headquarters and was the first Chinese BMW car designer.

Many others also come from BMW. Xiaomi has almost "poached people right under BMW's nose":

For example, Rudolf Dittric, who joined Xiaomi at the end of last year and now serves as the head of Xiaomi's European R & D center, was a former chassis technology supervisor at BMW for 23 years.

Another five people also come from BMW, having held important positions in performance, design, management, etc. at BMW. Here is a summary:

Additionally, Ricard Aiguabella Macau, an F1 aerodynamics expert from Ferrari, joined Xiaomi cars this year and currently serves as the chief aerodynamics engineer.

If this continues, Xiaomi may soon become a new talent pool for European luxury brands.

While building its talent reserve, Xiaomi's plan to expand overseas has also quietly been put on the agenda.

Lei Jun previously revealed that Xiaomi is not in a hurry to go global. The plan is to sell cars in Europe before 2030.

Now it seems that the more specific target is set for 2027. Lu Weibing also clearly stated at Xiaomi's earnings conference that "2027 will be the first year for Xiaomi cars to go global".

As early as February last year, the Xiaomi SU7 made its European debut at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.

Half a year later, the Xiaomi SU7 reappeared at the Paris Automobile Frame Full - Ecosystem Exhibition, attracting many people to queue up for photos.

Although there isn't much public information about Xiaomi cars' overseas progress, judging from the frequency of new talent recruitment, the progress is quite fast.

At the beginning of July this year, Lu Weibing posted on Weibo that the first Xiaomi car registered in Europe - an SU7 Ultra test vehicle - was on the road in Munich.

It may not be long before Xiaomi cars are available in Europe.

One More Thing

Xiaomi's progress in the domestic market is much faster than overseas.

Recently, netizens took spy photos of a new Xiaomi car, suspected to be the Xiaomi SU7 L (long - wheelbase version).

It looks similar to the Xiaomi SU7, but with a significantly longer wheelbase and more spacious rear - seat space. Considering the length of the standard SU7 (4997mm), the length of the SU7 L may exceed 5.2 meters.

Obviously, this is aimed at the executive sedan market.

Mercedes and Audi will surely be affected, but will there also be a head - on competition with other brands?

This article is from the WeChat public account "Intelligent Vehicle Reference", author: Jessica. Republished by 36Kr with permission.