At a time when Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been chastised for spending too much time revamping Twitter, the EV maker has promoted China Chief Tom Zhu to a global position.??
Tom Zhu has been promoted to take direct oversight of the electric carmaker¡¯s U.S. assembly plants as well as sales operations in North America and Europe, according to an internal posting of reporting lines reviewed by Reuters.
The Tesla posting showed that Zhu's title of vice president for Greater China had not changed and that he also retained his responsibilities as Tesla's most senior executive for sales in the rest of Asia as of Tuesday.
The move thus makes Tom Zhu the highest-profile executive at Tesla after CEO Elon Musk,?with direct oversight for deliveries in all of its major markets and operations at its key production hubs, as per a Reuters report.
The reporting lines for Zhu would keep Tesla's vehicle design and development¡ªboth areas where Elon Musk has been heavily involved¡ªseparate while creating an apparent deputy to Musk on the more near-term challenges of managing global sales and output.
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Zhu, who was born in China but now holds a New Zealand passport, had joined Tesla in 2014. Before that, he was a project manager at a company established by his MBA classmates at Duke University, advising Chinese contractors working on infrastructure projects in Africa.
Tom Zhu and a team of his reports were brought in by Tesla late last year to troubleshoot production issues in the United States, driving an expectation among his colleagues that he was being groomed for a bigger role.
Zhu's appointment to a global role comes at a time when Tesla analysts and investors have urged action that would deepen the senior executive bench and allow him to focus on Tesla.
Tom Zhu takes charge of Tesla's main production hubs at a time when the company is readying the launch of the Cybertruck and a revamped version of its Model 3 sedan. Tesla has also said it is developing a cheaper electric vehicle but has not provided details on that plan.
Tesla managers reporting to Zhu include: Jason Shawhan, director of manufacturing at the Gigafactory in Texas; Hrushikesh Sagar, senior director of manufacturing at Tesla's Fremont factory; Joe Ward, vice president in charge of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; and Troy Jones, vice president of North America sales and service, according to the Tesla notice on reporting lines reviewed by Reuters.
Tesla country managers in China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have continued to report to Zhu,?as per the notice.
Under Tom Zhu, Tesla's Shanghai plant rebounded strongly from COVID lockdowns in China.
During Shanghai's two-month COVID lockdown,?Zhu was among the first batch of employees sleeping in the factory as they sought to keep it running, people who work with him reportedly said.
Tom Zhu, a no-fuss manager who sports a buzz cut, favours Tesla-branded fleece jackets and has lived in a government-subsidized apartment that is a 10-minute drive from the Shanghai Gigafactory. It was not immediately clear whether he would move after his promotion.
When?Tesla?posted a picture on Twitter last month to celebrate its Austin, Texas, plant hitting a production milestone for its Model Y, Zhu was among hundreds of workers smiling on the factory floor, the report mentioned.
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Tesla board member James Murdoch had said in November that the company had recently identified a potential successor to Musk?Tesla board member James Murdoch had said in November that the company had recently identified a potential successor to Musk?without naming the person, as per the report. This came amid Elon Musk¡¯s mammoth?$56 billion Tesla pay package being questioned in court. Musk was also reportedly labelled as the "part time CEO" of Tesla.
But will the newly promoted Zhu be the ¡®successor¡¯ of?Elon Musk?at Tesla? That remains to be seen.
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