Luxury carmaker Infiniti's China head is resigning this week and will join a startup electric car venture backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd and Foxconn Technology Group, sources said on Tuesday.

The move is considered an important one in the Chinese auto industry as car manufacturing is gaining ground with Chinese technology companies.

Daniel Kirchert, a fluent Mandarin speaker, will join as a top executive in a project jointly invested by Tencent, Foxconn and Henan-based China Harmony New Energy Auto Holding Ltd, multiple sources verified on Tuesday.