BMW, one of the world’s leading luxury vehicle makers, will expand its workforce to meet demand for cleaner-running autos. The automaker is looking to hire 1,300 employees with expertise in electric vehicles, hybrid powertrains and development of fuel-efficient combustion engines by the end of this year. In 2011, BMW plans to add another 1,300 more wage-earners to its advanced vehicle research and development departments.
The hired hands will be tasked with developing the company’s upcoming Megacity electric vehicle and a hybrid-powered sports car, the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics, both of which are scheduled to launch in 2013. In addition, BMW will add trained sales specialists to help market its high-tech autos and, hopefully, move the vehicles off dealer lots at a rapid pace. The automaker seeks to increase overall vehicle sales from 1.4 million annually (as is expected by the end of 2010), to a predicted two million in 2020 and there’s no way alternative-energy vehicles don’t account for at least some of the overall gains.
