We reported on Tesla bringing its Chinese boss Tom Zhu and his team to the States to help ramp up production. Reuters has now obtained further confirmation, with rumors Zhu is being prepped for a bigger role within the company.
Zhu head Tesla’s Asian operations. However, he and Giga Shanghai’s manager Song Gang are currently in the US, according to unnamed sources that Reuters spoke with. The pair will spearhead troubleshooting production issues at Tesla’s plants in California and Texas.
Zhu has been a rising star in Tesla. Under his leadership, Giga Shanghai has remarkably recovered from lockdown issues. The plant has seen expansion and may help Tesla reach its 50 percent growth target for 2022.
The Chinese team has reportedly worked on the long-awaited Cybertruck while at Giga Texas, which is planned for 2023 production. The Texas plant is also ramping up Model Y production while also preparing to launch the revamped Model 3. Giga Shanghai will start manufacturing the new Model 3 next year.
The rumors linking Zhu to a more prominent Tesla role couldn’t have come at a better time. Some investors have complained CEO Elon Musk is getting distracted from his role by his newly acquired Twitter, where he spends more of his time.
In addition, Zhu’s aide in China posted a farewell poem on social media sites, suggesting the boss was assuming a new and bigger role.
We also reported that a possible successor to Musk had been named.
