Tesla Europe Boss Jochen Rudat Joins Automobili Pininfarina

Automobili Pininfarina has hired Jochen Rudat, Tesla’s director for central Europe, as its new sales chief.

Rudat worked for Tesla since 2009 and he was considered one of the EV maker’s most important executives in Europe. Prior to that, he had worked for several years at BMW’s Swiss arm as a dealer development manager.

Automobili Pininfarina’s new sales chief and his team will be responsible for the marketing of the brand’s soon-to-grow lineup, Automotive News reports.

Also Read: Pininfarina Announces EV Platform Collaboration With Bosch And Benteler

Pininfarina has already announced its plans to develop a high-performance EV platform in collaboration with Bosch and Benteler that will underpin its upcoming models, including three new SUVs and another unannounced vehicle.

Automobili Pininfarina is wholly owned by the Indian Mahindra & Mahindra, which also owns the Pininfarina SpA design studio.

The new models will follow the Pininfarina Battista electric hypercar, which shares its powertrain with the Rimac C Two. The Battista makes use of no less than four electric motors for a combined 1873 hp and 1696 lb-ft (2300 Nm) of torque, making it capable of sub-2 second times for the classic 0-62 mph (100km/h) procedure.

Rudat is just one of Tesla’s European executives that left the company recently, as the Palo Alto-based car maker also lost Peter Bardenfleth-Hansen, their Business Development Director for Europe-Middle East and Africa, who joined German electric van maker StreetScooter.