(Yicai Global) May 27 -- Nio is headhunting for several positions in manufacturing in the US, indicating that the Chinese electric car startup intends to start producing in the North American country, according to a number of recruitment ads seen by Yicai Global.

Nio is advertising for an overseas manufacturing park planning expert, who must have completed at least two master plan projects, one of which must be in the US. He/she should be familiar with policies, design specifications and planning approval procedures in various US states as well as US technical and master planning principles.

“It looks like Nio is planning to build a factory in the US,” said a source with experience of building automotive plants in China. The position requires understanding policies in different US states and this person will be involved in selecting the US site, he added.

Shanghai-based Nio had no comment to make on the matter when contacted by Yicai Global.

Nio is also recruiting a planning and infrastructure expert/senior analyst in San Jose, California. Candidates must have knowledge of industrial property regulatory processes. It is also looking for a body craft expert, international infrastructure expert and overseas logistics project manager.

Nio’s US plant might adopt a Completely Knocked-Down manufacturing process at its US plant, where a vehicle is stripped to its parts at its origin and reassembled in the US, the person said. Either that or a Semi Knocked-Down Process, where the auto is partially dissembled in the country of origin and then rebuilt in the US.

Nio is on schedule to enter several European markets this year including Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. It plans to provide products and services in 25 countries and regions including the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand by 2025.

NEV sales in the US are booming. US NEV shipments jumped 60 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to data from US business information service provider Experian.

Editor: Kim Taylor