Tesla’s China Head Tom Zhu Takes Over North American Sales – Electrek, Reuters

Tesla Inc’s head of China, Tom Zhu, has taken on new responsibilities overseeing sales, service, and deliveries in North America, according to a report. Zhu’s title remains vice president in charge of Asia/Pacific.

Tesla has not responded to requests for comment regarding this change. Recently, Zhu and his team from Shanghai have been visiting Tesla facilities in California and Texas, which has led to speculation that he may be prepared for a larger role within the company, particularly as CEO Elon Musk focuses on his acquisition of Twitter.

Under Zhu’s guidance, Tesla’s Shanghai operations have significantly recovered from pandemic-related lockdowns, bringing the company closer to its production growth target of 50% for 2022.

On a related note, Tesla reported record production and deliveries of electric vehicles for the fourth quarter; however, it fell short of Wall Street projections due to logistical issues, decreasing demand, rising interest rates, and economic recession concerns. In 2022, Tesla’s stock experienced a severe decline of 65%, marking its toughest year since going public in 2010.