Xiaomi Denies Rumors of "Poaching" Tesla’s China Factory Head—What’s Really Going On?

 

Hey everyone! So, here’s the latest buzz in the EV world: Rumors have been swirling that Song Gang, Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory head, was planning to leave Tesla and join Xiaomi’s automotive division. But hold up—Xiaomi’s PR chief, Wang Hua, quickly put those rumors to bed on December 19, saying that while Song is highly regarded, Xiaomi's current head of the Beijing factory, Ji Guowei, is equally talented, and everything’s fine on their end.

 

 

To set the stage: Song Gang, Tesla’s Vice President of Manufacturing and head of the Shanghai Gigafactory, has been with Tesla since 2018, playing a crucial role in ramping up Model 3 production in China. However, on December 18, it was reported that Song had submitted his resignation months ago, and that December 18 marked his last day at Tesla. While Tesla has yet to appoint a new head for the Shanghai factory, the industry buzz was that Song might be joining a local, emerging EV brand currently grappling with production bottlenecks. Naturally, many speculated that this brand could be Xiaomi.

 

If true, Song’s departure would have been a huge blow to Tesla's Shanghai operations, especially considering his expertise in manufacturing and scaling up production. But it turns out that while Song is a big name in the industry, there’s no big move to Xiaomi happening here—at least not for now.

 

In fact, Xiaomi’s electric vehicle division has been facing its own growing pains, particularly in production. Their Beijing factory has struggled to keep up with rising demand, and their second plant won’t be ready until 2025. With long delivery times for models like the SU7, it makes sense that they’d be looking to strengthen their leadership team. But if Song isn’t joining, does that mean Xiaomi will need to find other ways to scale up?

 

Apart from Xiaomi, many insiders have also speculated that Song might be headed to Nio’s newly launched Onvo. The company has faced significant production challenges since launching its L60 model earlier this year. Nio’s CEO, Li Bin, revealed that Onvo’s delivery goals were to hit 10,000 units by December, 16,000 in January, and 20,000 by March. However, according to public insurance data, Onvo delivered just over 5,000 units in November, indicating that production ramp-up remains a tough challenge.

 

So, what do you think? With Xiaomi denying the rumor, is there still a possibility of major moves in the EV sector? Will companies like Xiaomi and Nio continue to struggle with scaling up production?