Xpeng has made a new round of organizational changes led by new president Wang Fengying, involving teams including marketing, human resources, data, manufacturing and product planning, according to local media.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) has reportedly undergone a new round of organizational restructuring led by new president Wang Fengying, as she approaches her first year on the job.
The changes involve teams in marketing, human resources, data, manufacturing and product planning, local media outlet Jiemian said today, citing several people familiar with the matter.
Former Great Wall Motor general manager Zhang Li joined Xpeng a few months ago to head manufacturing. Jiang Ziyang, who was a senior consultant at consulting firm Ries Strategy, joined Xpeng to head product planning, according to the report.
Huang Ronghai, formerly head of Xpeng’s Data Intelligence Center, is in charge of human resources, and Chen Dan, formerly head of human resources, has left the company, according to the report.
Xpeng informed some high-ranking employees of the specifics of this organizational restructuring via email last week, the report said.
Ms. Wang started as Xpeng’s president on January 30, 2023, and is responsible for product planning, portfolio management and sales operations, reporting to the company’s chairman and CEO, He Xiaopeng. She previously worked at Great Wall Motor for more than 30 years.
These recent changes are largely due to Ms. Wang’s belief that Xpeng’s work over the past year has not met expectations, Jiemian’s report said.
Ms. Wang chose industry veterans with extensive experience in the automotive industry who have worked with her in the latest realignment, the report noted.
Ms. Wang led the restructuring of Xpeng’s sales and service system in 2023, as well as anti-corruption efforts in supply chain units. Almost all of her decisions were supported by Mr. He, multiple people familiar with the matter said, according to Jiemian.
Xpeng’s smart driving and car connectivity divisions were less affected by the latest restructuring, as R&D-related work is the responsibility of Mr. He himself, and both Li Liyun, who is in charge of smart driving, and Chen Yonghai, who is in charge of the internet center, report directly to Mr. He, according to the report.
The head of Xpeng’s smart driving business was previously Wu Xinzhou, who left in August 2023 and joined US chip giant Nvidia, with Li taking over his job at Xpeng.
In addition to these realignments, Xpeng continues efforts to drive down costs and improve efficiency.
Xpeng made some layoffs at the end of 2023, the exact percentage of which is unknown, Jiemian’s report said, adding that two Data Intelligence Center employees said their department had laid off about 10 percent of staff.
Xpeng delivered 20,115 vehicles in December, its third consecutive month above the 20,000-unit mark, according to data it released earlier this month.
For the full year 2023, Xpeng delivered 141,601 vehicles, up 17.26 percent year-on-year, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
Xpeng sees price competition continuing until traditional OEMs can’t profit on ICEs
