Tesla’s Senior Vice President of Automotive is reportedly moving back into a position in China, after leaving the country to help with the automaker’s global operations last year.
Tesla’s SVP Automotive Tom Zhu was transferred from Gigafactory China to the current position at Giga Austin last year to help with the U.S. plant’s production ramp.
Now, multiple local sources have reported that the executive will be returning to China to return to the role of SVP of Greater China.
The news comes as multiple executives have departed from the company amidst a larger restructuring effort, which has included several rounds of layoffs that began in mid-April.
Over the last few weeks, Tesla has launched multiple rounds of layoffs company-wide, including its whole advertising team, its whole Supercharging team, and a number of others in different departments.
Tesla gained tentative approval for FSD in China last week, set to mark the first market outside of North America to get the semi-autonomous driver assistance software.
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Tesla moves key auto executive amidst layoffs and departures
After leaving the nation to assist with the automaker’s international operations last year, Tesla’s Senior Vice President of Automotive is apparently returning to his role in China.
Last year, Tom Zhu, SVP of Automotive at Tesla, was moved from Gigafactory China to Giga Austin in order to assist with the U.S. S. ramp in plant production. According to numerous local sources, the executive will be going back to China to resume his position as SVP of Greater China.
The announcement coincides with a number of executives leaving the company as part of a broader reorganization initiative that started in mid-April and included multiple rounds of layoffs. It also coincides with Tesla’s upcoming launch of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software in China, which has led many to speculate that the move may be connected to the system’s introduction in the nation’s first non-North American market.
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Zhu, who joined Tesla in 2018, is credited with being instrumental in Giga Shanghai’s production ramp-up following its construction. Prior to taking on the role of SVP of Automotive, where he was in charge of manufacturing and sales worldwide, Zhu was assigned to manage Sales, Service, and Delivery for the company’s North American division after relocating there.
China is the first market outside of North America where Tesla’s semi-autonomous driver assistance software will be available after the company received provisional approval for the feature last week. In response to the announcement, Bank of America projected that by 2030, bringing Tesla’s FSD to the Chinese market might bring in up to $2.3 billion in revenue annually.
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