A Chinese company backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Foxconn Technology Group has been in the spotlight in German and French media after hiring a team of managers from BMW’s “i" sub-brand.

The company, Future Mobility, registered in China on March 1 of this year. Its base of operations for research and development is in Shenzhen, where it’s headquartered, and it also has R&D units in Europe and Silicon Valley. Additionally, Future Mobility is planning to builtd a plant in China for assembling autonomous electric vehicles.

Dirk Abendroth, Benoit Jacob and Henrik Wenders will join Future Mobility Corp. as the respective vice-presidents of software and connectivity, design, and marketing. The executives will join Carsten Breitfeld, a former project manager for BMW’s i8 plug-in sports car, who has already been hired as Future Mobility’s chief executive officer.

Future Mobility is one of several electric vehicle start-ups getting backed by technology companies in China as the Chinese government strives for more innovation in its auto industry.

Ten years ago, Foxconn acquired Aetna Electric Co., a Taiwan vehicle manufacturer, and began manufacturing an automotive lithium battery power system. In 2015, the company found another partner, Beijing car and Limited by Share Ltd. (BAIC). The two sides worked together on R&D for a new generation of battery and electric power systems.