Startup Byton Hires Ex-Ford Chief Engineer

Chinese startup Byton Ltd. has hired Andy Ball to oversee project management for the company’s upcoming electric cars.

Ball most recently was a vice president for Chinese commercial vehicle and SUV producer Jiangling Motors Corp., which is 32% owned by Ford Motor Co. In a prior assignment, he served as chief engineer at Ford’s development center in Nanjing.

Byton aims to open a €10.8 billion ($1.6 billion) factory in Nanjing by the end of this year. The facility’s first model will be the all-electric M-Byte SUV/crossover. Byton intends to introduce the vehicle in Europe and in the U.S. in 2020.

Ball is the latest experienced auto industry executive to join Byton. The EV company hired former Nissan vehicle engineer David Twohig in May 2018 and ex-General Motors sales executive Andreas Schaaf last June.