Xiaomi Auto Appoints First CTO, Brings in Ex-Tesla Executive to Bolster Tech and Production

On April 17, 2024, Xiaomi Group announced two key executive appointments via an internal memo: Hu Zhengnan was named Vice President of Xiaomi Group and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of its Automobile Division, while Song Gang was appointed Vice President and Chief of Staff of the Automobile Division. This marks the first time Xiaomi has created a CTO role for its automotive business since its inception in 2021. Hu Zhengnan brings nearly 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, having entered the field in 1997. He previously contributed to the engineering development of the Great Wall Haval H6. From 2012 to 2021, he served at Geely as President of its Research Institute, leading the development of the Boyue SUV and the SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) pure-electric vehicle platform. In 2021, he joined Shunwei Capital and subsequently acted as an advisor to Xiaomi Auto, playing a pivotal role in the development of models including the SU7. He has made public appearances at major events such as the SU7 launch, the 2024 auto shows, and the SU7 Ultra’s Nürburgring lap challenge. Song Gang previously served as Vice President of Manufacturing at Tesla’s Gigafactory Shanghai, where he oversaw the plant’s construction and ramp-up of production capacity. Prior to Tesla, he held positions at General Motors and Ford Motor Company. He left Tesla in December 2024 and joined Envision Energy as Senior Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain before officially joining Xiaomi Auto in April 2025. On the same day, former Tesla China Managing Director Kong Yanshuang was also reported to have joined Xiaomi, taking charge of automotive sales. These leadership changes are closely tied to Xiaomi Auto’s current production capacity challenges. According to Xiaomi Auto’s official Weibo account on April 1, total deliveries across all models in March 2026 exceeded 20,000 units. Notably, the newly launched next-generation SU7, which began deliveries on March 23, achieved over 7,000 units in just nine days—averaging approximately 800 units per day. However, this figure falls short of January’s record high of 39,002 units and remains significantly below Lei Jun’s annual target of 550,000 deliveries for 2026. To meet this goal, Xiaomi must deliver roughly 470,000 vehicles over the remaining three quarters—an average of about 1,700 units per day. To support this ambitious delivery target, Xiaomi Auto is accelerating production expansion. Its Beijing Phase I and II plants are currently operating at full capacity, with a combined annual output of approximately 300,000–330,000 vehicles. The Beijing Phase III plant commenced operations after the 2025 Lunar New Year, adding 150,000 units of annual capacity. Meanwhile, the Wuhan plant is scheduled to begin production in May 2026, with a designed annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles. Xiaomi Group’s full-year 2025 financial results show total revenue reached RMB 457.3 billion, up 25.0% year-over-year. Revenue from smart electric vehicles and other innovative businesses—including AI—reached RMB 106.1 billion, surging 223.8% year-over-year and surpassing the RMB 100 billion milestone for the first time. As of that time, Xiaomi Auto employed nearly 10,000 R&D personnel, including over 3,500 dedicated to safety-related teams. The company also established a Xiaomi Auto Safety Committee with veto power and plans to form an external Automotive Safety Advisory Committee to create a public safety communication mechanism.