Aston Martin’s Product Development Chief Moves to Dyson

Ian Minards, the former head of product development at British supercar company Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., has become global product development director for Dyson Ltd., the U.K.-based maker of bagless vacuum cleaners.

Minards’ move bolsters a report in March that Dyson received a £174 million ($245 million) grant from the British government to develop an electric vehicle. Last year the company spent $90 million to acquire Sakti3, a high-tech battery company in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Dyson declines to comment on Minards’ possible role in an EV project. The company tells Automotive News Europe only that it is “developing a multitude of technologies.”