Nio design lead joins EV start-up

A fledgling start-up has brought in an experienced head to lead the design of its upcoming electric vehicles. Alister Whelan revealed earlier in January that he would be leaving Nio, having joined in October 2021, for a new opportunity back in the UK. Whelan has now shared that he will join Forseven, a company that remains very much in stealth mode.

A graduate of Coventry University’s renowned Transportation Design course, Whelan went on to work as an exterior designer at Audi in Ingolstadt – a brief 18-month stint compared to the 21 years he would go on to serve at JLR. Holding various roles during his tenure there, Whelan would gain skills in advanced design, interiors, exteriors, CMF and digital user experience. This would serve him well in his next gig as the director of Nio’s Munich design studio between October 2021 and January 2023 before joining Forseven.

Whelan has a vast range of experience on both production and concept models, many of which are performance and premium-led. He has worked on everything from the Jaguar C-XF and C-X75 concepts to the F-Type Coupe and fully electric I-Pace SUV.

It is very early days for the start-up and many of the details remain firmly under wraps. From a somewhat cryptic corporate message, we can assume that there will be a novel approach to design, engineering or both. “We aren’t the first to build a car, or a car company, but we are the first to build it this way,” the company says. “We will streamline the way premium, dynamically engaging vehicles are made and offer them via an ecosystem that captures imaginations.”

There are other clues as to how the company make take shape. A pillar to the brand is “lightness” which might point toward some kind of sports car, although this is of course little more than conjecture. Another indication that Forseven may head in this direction is the statement that the “ultimate goal is to bring the emotion back to driving.” We’ll have to wait and see.

Among others, the Forseven team already counts Graham Wilkins, formerly of Lotus and JLR and who is in charge of engineering; chief branding officer Andrew Lytheer, formerly of Polestar and powertrain supplier GKN; Murray Schofield, VP of electrification who joins most recently from Arrival; and Simon Stevens, VP of manufacturing who previously served as chief product engineer at JLR.

With a VP of design now on board, the company has another key figure in the ranks as it moves out of stealth mode (whenever that may be). It will be interesting to see how Whelan’s experience helps to shape the work going on at Forseven.