According to foreign media reports, Fisker has hired Alpay Uguz, a long-term BMW executive. The start-up plans to start producing electric vehicles later this year, and Uguz will lead the company's global production efforts.

Uguz, who previously served as general manager of BMW's SUV plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, also spent nearly 10 years at BMW's joint venture with China's Brilliance Group. After joining Fisker, he will serve as Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing.

Uguz will oversee global production for Fisker, which aims to produce as many as 1 million cars a year by 2027. The company's first electric car, the Ocean, is expected to start production in November at contract manufacturer Magna Steyr's plant in Graz, Austria. Uguz will also play a key role in Fisker's partnership with Taiwanese company Foxconn to develop electric vehicles in Ohio.

Image credit: Fisker

Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker, said in an interview: "To gain market share, you have to figure out a way to launch a large number of models and expand the scale in the next three to five years."

The partnership with Magna Steyr and Foxconn reflects Fisker's strategy of outsourcing production, allowing it to focus on vehicle development. Not long ago, Foxconn purchased the Ohio plant from troubled Lordstown Motors, where Foxconn's Fisker-partnered models will be built.

Uguz's priority is to help Foxconn find the best way to produce the car, since the latter doesn't have much experience in car production. Uguz will lead Fisker to scale, decide which models to build where, and eventually the company will likely build its own factory.

The practice of outsourcing production has put Fisker in a better position than other electric-vehicle startups, which now have more than $1 billion in cash and have not delayed production or cut jobs. Fisker said the company will likely continue to hire top talent like Uguz, especially after recent layoffs announced by Tesla, Rivian and others.