State-owned Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company, commonly known as Beijing Automotive Group or BAIC, hired Leonardo Fioravanti, legendary designer of the Ferrari Daytona, to transform the Chinese car conglomerate into a world-class maker of luxury cars by 2025, according to Bloomberg News.

The BAIC gave Fioravanti the title of chief design officer in April in the hopes that his star power and design credibility can help it close the gap against foreign competitors like Volkswagen Group (Frankfurt: VOW) and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM). BAIC got its start building sidecar motorcycles during the Korean War, Bloomberg News said Monday.

BAIC is not the only Chinese car maker to bring in international star talent, Bloomberg News reported. BMW's Chinese partner, Brilliance China Automotive Holdings, recently hired another star designer from Pininfarina, Dimitri Vicedomini, and Qoros Auto, a joint venture between Chery Automobile Company and Israel Corp. brought in Mini designer Gert Hildebrand.

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