Job news at Lucid, Pininfarina and Li Auto

Car design presents a world of opportunities for those willing to travel and push themselves. It is no surprise then that this is an industry where turnover is rapid. This also creates openings for others to rise up through the ranks. Here’s the latest moves this week.

First up, Lucid has elevated Nicola Danks to the role of CMF design director, who since joining in January 2022 has quickly moved up the ranks. She brings valuable experience during her more than eight years prior at JLR, and in April joined CDN for a livestream to discuss the role of CMF in luxury vehicles.

While not a word-for-word replacement, Danks fills a gap in the team following the departure of Sue Magnusson, former head of CMF at the automaker and a designer who carved out a wonderfully unconventional career path. You can read our interview with Magnusson here.

At Pininfarina, the design house is bolstering its move into the Chinese market with two new hires, both bringing recent experience from competitor Technicon Design which also has a spot in Shanghai.

Matteo Fioravanti joins the Pinin Shanghai studio as senior VP of design, while Li Hanqing will take on the role of general manager. The announcement came 13th November, but both have been officially active in their new positions since the start of the month.

At Li Auto, Michael Silbereis has been appointed head of advanced design. Based in Shanghai, the Pforzheim graduate has a career path primarily around interior design roles and internships at the likes of Volkswagen, Mercedes-AMG and EvoBus (now Daimler Buses). Perhaps also of note, he was a finalist in CDN’s Student Design of the Year award in 2016.

Prior to joining Li Auto in December 2022, Silbereis spent nearly seven years at Porsche, most recently serving as advanced interior designer. Li Auto recently revealed the Mega MPV, a people carrier that channels what the team describes as Chinese minimalism.