Recent news has unveiled that Kai Langer, the head of BMW's i-series car design, has embarked on a new journey with Xiaomi.

With over two decades of experience at BMW, Kai Langer officially joined Xiaomi on August 1st, marking another significant recruitment coup for Xiaomi in Europe.

Car analyst Zhang Xiang commented, "Kai Langer has been instrumental in designing electric car models for BMW, seamlessly blending technology and luxury into a car's exterior and interior. This perfectly aligns with Xiaomi's objective to elevate the styling of its vehicles, potentially paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in Xiaomi's car design, encompassing exterior aesthetics and human-computer interaction interfaces, and fostering a distinctive design language."

According to LinkedIn, Kai Langer joined the BMW Group in 2003 and has since contributed to the design of the pioneering BMW i3 and i8 models over the span of 20 years. From July 2019 until his recent resignation, he held the position of head of BMW's i-series design.

As BMW's flagship brand for new energy vehicles, the i-series debuted in 2011 with models like the i3 and i8, renowned for their innovative designs. For instance, the discontinued i3 featured a carbon fiber "LifeDrive" architecture, with its iconic closed double-kidney grille.

Xiaomi's car design team has long attracted talent from BMW. Rudolf Drittich, the former general manager of BMW's limited edition models department, now leads Xiaomi's European R&D center for automobiles. Additionally, Jannis Hellwig, who previously headed BMW's FE performance management and simulation, has also joined the team. Shin Muto, the head of interior design, also hails from BMW, where he played a pivotal role in the interior development of models like the X1 and Series 2, excelling at harmonizing functionality with aesthetics.

This strategic recruitment is no coincidence. Earlier this year, Xiaomi established a European R&D center in Munich, the home of BMW. Since then, the company has poached several senior executives from automakers, underscoring Xiaomi's ambitions and commitment in the automotive industry.

Reports indicate that Xiaomi intends to establish a new automotive design center in Europe, although it remains unclear whether Kai Langer will be part of this endeavor.