Jean-Arthur Madelaine-Advenier, previously head of interiors at Polestar, has joined Xiaomi as design director at the brand’s Munich studio
We recently reported that JP Bernal had been bumped up to the top interior design job at Polestar, a position that became available when Jean-Arthur Madelaine-Advenier joined EV newcomer (but tech giant) Xiaomi.
He will be design director at the company’s new Creative Studio, based in Munich. It is a newly created role where he will be working with Tianyuan Li, head of Xiaomi EV Design in Shanghai, as well as Xiaomi’s founder and chairman, Lei Jun. He will also be alongside design veteran Chris Bangle who was recently brought in as a strategic design consultant.
Madelaine-Advenier’s first port of call will be to bring new talent in, “hiring the best designers to work on exciting projects,” he told Car Design News, “from production and concept cars to [other] innovative products.” The Munich outpost currently has around 30 people on site.
As for the broader remit of the studio, it will support the headquarters in China with an eye to creating (and strengthening) its brand design signature. Madelaine-Advenier adds that there will be a focus on enhancing Xiaomi’s high-tech background with respect to car design.
“The studio will help with brand positioning, showing our commitment to quality, luxury and state-of-the-art technology, as well as innovation and customisation,” he explains. As could be expected, it is very much a technology-led strategy, but Madelaine-Advenier says Xiaomi will not be forgetting the fundamentals of car design.
“On the sustainability front, we will develop eco-friendly materials and more efficient propulsion technologies,” he says, “while tapping into new customer segments, strengthening the customer experiencce and building a bond with Xiaomi, creating a community and offering experiences that combine tech and automotive.” Plenty going on, then, it seems.
A graduate of both ENSAAMA and Strate in Paris, and the RCA in London, the French designer has since garnered an impressive range of experiences across multiple brands and continents. Prior to his role as head of interior design at Polestar, he has held senior positions at the likes of (deep breath): Citroen, Tesla, Mercedes, Peugeot, Mini, BMW and Designworks. His early design career began with placements at Renault, Saab, Audi and Mercedes.
It will be interesting to see how this experience filters in to Xiaomi’s design language over time.
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