Tesla Motors Inc., hired Apple’s top product engineer Doug Field to be Vice President of Vehicle Programs.
The Palo Alto, California-based hybrid carmaker announced Thursday that Field has joined them to lead its new-vehicle programs.
Field, Apple’s Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering, successfully led and engineered some of Apple’s recent products including iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro.
With Tesla’s recent employment, it only shows that its management considers their high-end automobiles as a piece of gadget. Certainly, electric vehicles equipped with the latest technology and applications, look like moving smartphones.
“Doug has demonstrated the leadership and technical talent to develop and deliver outstanding products, including what are widely considered the best computers in the world,” said Elon Musk, Tesla co-founder and CEO, in the press release. “Tesla’s future depends on engineers who can create the most innovative, technologically advanced vehicles in the world. Doug’s experience in both consumer electronics and traditional automotive makes him an important addition to our leadership team.”
Upcoming innovations of the company include a new sport-utility vehicle called the Model X and an entry-level sedan called Model E which will be released on late 2014 and sometime between 2016 or 2017, respectively.
Field was also a former engineer of Ford Motor Company and has more than enough experience in making incredible cars. However, he opted to disregard his goal in the auto industry to seek exciting engineering opportunities and challenges, where he ended up in the backyard of Apple, Inc.
In the press release he was quoted saying, “Until Tesla came along, I had never seriously considered leaving Apple.”
“As the first high tech auto company in modern history, Tesla is at last an opportunity for me and many others to pursue the dream of building the best cars in the world—while being part of one of the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley,” he added.
This is not the first time Musk went fishing into the Cupertino, California-based Apple’s talent pond.
In 2010, Musk hired George Blankenship, an ex Apple executive who have created Apple’s unique store designs, to be its Tesla’s Vice President for Sales and Ownership Experience.
