Faraday Future (FF), the mysterious electric-car company that debuted a radical race-car concept at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is bringing on a seasoned Ferrari executive to a top leadership post.
The new hire is Marco Mattiacci, an award-winning auto executive who led Ferrari North America and Ferrari Asia Pacific between 2006 and 2014, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
The addition of Mattiacci is expected to be announced officially on Thursday, the person said, asking not to be identified. This person wouldn't say what role he will assume at FF.
Ever since it came out of stealth mode, FF has been a tough nut to crack. The Southern California-based startup has become somewhat notorious in the tech and automotive worlds for its lofty but secretive agenda.
One piece of the Faraday puzzle that has remained unknown is who the company's CEO is. As of now, we still don't know.
The source wouldn't say if that's the role Mattiacci would take, but called him "a great asset for Faraday Future with regard to a global viewpoint on the automotive space, both in manufacturing and in representation in the two biggest markets that FF is looking toward — North America and China."
Mattiacci has held executive roles in the automotive and motorsport industries for the past two decades, earning the Automotive Executive of the Year Award in 2012 while helming Ferrari's North America operations.
FF has poached some big auto-industry names from BMW, Ford, and General Motors — plus aerospace company SpaceX and several others. Nick Sampson, the man overseeing the development of FF's vehicles, is a Tesla alumnus.
The company is backed by a billionaire in China who runs LeEco, a tech giant that makes smartphones, virtual-reality headsets, and TVs.
Faraday is building a massive $1 billion factory in Nevada while eyeing additional property for a second facility in California.
The company is also deep into the testing of its forthcoming electric, self-driving-vehicle technology, represented right now in the form of mules — decoy vehicles with FF underpinnings. Those cars have undergone testing throughout the country.
