The former chief executive of Opel, Karl-Thomas Neumann, will join the executive team and board of directors of Evelozcity, an electric car startup from Los Angeles.
In his role at Evelozcity, Neumann will oversee mobility concepts, branding, market, European market operations and customer experience, and he will also be responsible for the startup’s blockchain strategy.
Prior to taking on the reigns of Opel, Neumann had served as the chief executive of Volkswagen Group China and the chief executive of Continental. He is also reportedly an investor in Evelozcity.
“These are disruptive times for the traditional car industry,” Neumann said. “We need new transportation concepts and e-mobility to free cities of traffic and pollution. I have looked at many options and believe that the traditional carmakers will not be driving the change. Evelozcity reflects my beliefs of what is required and that’s why I joined.”
A host of other industry heavyweights are involved in Evelozcity. For example, former chief financial officer of Faraday Future and BMW, Stefan Krause, now resides at the startup. Additionally, former Faraday Future CTO Ulrich Kranz and Richard Kim, the designer of the BMW i3, i8 and Faraday Future FF 91, are also currently employed by the same company.
Founded in December 2017, Evelozcity intends on launching its first model in the United States by 2021. It currently employs 100 staff and expects to increase that number to 300 by the end of the year.
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