(Yicai Global) Aug. 11 -- Tesla has begun recruiting to fill nearly 100 positions including chief designer at its first overseas research and development center in China.

The US new energy vehicle maker revealed its recruitment campaign recently on its WeChat account.

The job openings are mainly targeting engineers. The firm is looking for more than 20 vehicle software R&D staff including a data platform software engineer, and more than 10 hardware design engineers. Other positions are related to car materials, power, and operations.

The R&D center in the Lingang area of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone is expected to be ready this year and it is built to meet the Chinese demand, according to the California-headquartered company.

The goal of the China R&D center is to design, develop and produce new models and products with Chinese cultural elements, and export the vehicles, per the firm's plan.

Tesla is gaining in popularity in the States but its market share in China declined in the second quarter due to the intensifying competition with domestic vehicle makers such as Nio and Xpeng Motors.

By February, Tesla had a nearly 70 percent market share in the US but its market share in China fell to 11 percent from the earlier 18 percent logged a year earlier, according to data from investment bank Morgan Stanley.

Editor: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi