Frank Weber
BMW has confirmed it’s poached GM’s former head of product planning, Frank Weber, to fill the role of head of vehicle architecture and integration at the luxury automaker. Weber, a key engineer in the development of the Chevrolet Volt and its Voltec range-extending electric drive system, will now report to BMW’s R&D chief Klaus Draeger and is likely destined to work on further development of BMW’s new ‘i’ range of electric cars.
Weber’s expertise on electric car development will be crucial for BMW's new i branded models such as the upcoming i3, the model previously labeled the Megacity Vehicle, as well as the i8 supercar, the production version of the Vision EfficientDynamics concept car.
Weber, a native of Germany, first joined GM’s Opel division in 1991 following the completion of his engineering studies at Darmstadt University. His most recent project was the development of the Chevrolet Volt, where he spent the last two years working at GM’s facilities in the U.S. as well as Opel’s headquarters in Russelsheim, Germany.
You can watch a video of Weber explaining the Volt's technology in a previous story by clicking here.
[Automotive News, sub req’d]
