Dyson revs up hiring for Singapore electric car plant

British tech group Dyson has started recruiting people for its vehicle plant here as patents for its first electric car surface. LinkedIn job placements indicate that the firm is looking for automotive design engineers, free trade agreement specialists, software engineers and design engineers, among others. It is also seeking supply chain managers, tooling and moulding managers and plant managers.

In all, there are more than 100 job listings under Dyson, although not all are for automotive roles. The company would not say how many jobs it is looking to fill. But founder James Dyson, who was in Singapore on Thursday (9 May), said in a memo to staff that it already has 'over 500 people, blending Dyson experience with automotive know-how'.

Mr. Dyson said patents it filed for its electric car would be made public this week. Drawings allude to a mid-sized SUV-type vehicle that is more aerodynamic than existing models and with a short bonnet and a windscreen that blends completely with the roof. Because of the reduced bonnet area, more space is freed up for the cabin. The drawing also alludes to unusually large wheels for a car of its size. Mr. Dyson told staff, "The patents certainly don't reveal what our vehicle will really look like or give any specifics around what it will do - rather they... provide a glimpse of some of the inventive steps that we are considering. They suggest some of the ways in which this vehicle could differ from the status quo and depict a vehicle which has been developed from the bottom up - built with range and efficiency in mind from the outset."

A company spokesman said Dyson's first car is on schedule to hit the road by 2021. He added that the company is 'finalising the operational designs and tendering the contracts and will begin the build (of its plant here) later this year'. The Straits Times understands the plant will be in Jurong. Former BMW and Infiniti boss Roland Krueger, who has been appointed to head Dyson's automotive unit, has moved to Singapore. Mr. Krueger, 53, a car designer by training, was in Singapore between 2004 and 2008, when he headed BMW Asia.