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Car stuff
Author: Er Yan
Editor: Zhihao

In the booming automobile industry, "auto people" are also experiencing a wave of changes. In the past six months, more than 100 senior executives in the automobile industry have either changed positions or left their original companies.

On August 9, SAIC-GM officially announced major personnel changes. Lu Xiao, former executive vice general manager of Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, replaced Zhuang Jingxiong as general manager of SAIC-GM.SAIC-GM-WulingXue Haitao, general manager of the sales company and current member of the executive committee, serves as deputy general manager of SAIC-GM.

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On July 10, the board of directors of SAIC Motor announced that Wang Xiaoqiu was elected as the chairman of the company's eighth board of directors. Jia Jianxu was appointed as the company's president, and the former chairman Chen Hong resigned from the chairman and other positions due to retirement age.

Currently, SAIC Motor is experiencing its biggest wave of personnel changes in the past decade, with five rounds of collective changes of senior executives in the past six months, covering SAIC Passenger Vehicles, SAIC International, joint venture SAIC GM,SAIC VolkswagenThe major sectors of the group are developing at an extremely rapid pace.

SAIC's senior personnel changes are actually just a microcosm of the automotive industry this year.

According to statistics compiled by Chedongxi based on public information, senior management changes in the automotive industry have never stopped since February this year.

In the past six months, more than 100 executives of nearly 30 auto companies have been replaced, including 77 vice presidents and above, accounting for nearly 80%, and 10 CEOs of auto companies have been replaced.BAICThe two state-owned enterprises of SAIC and Shanghai also replaced their top leaders。

This includesZero Run、Xiaopeng、NIO、Extreme4 local new power car companies,Among them, the most frequent departures were from executives of NIO and Xpeng.。

At the same time, these car companies also include SAIC, FAW, BAIC,Chang'an, Dongfeng and other old state-owned enterprises and central enterprises,Great Wall、auspicious、CheryPrivate giants such as SAIC-GM,Changan Ford、Changan Mazda、Zhengzhou Nissan, FAW-Volkswagen and other joint ventures.

andTesla, Volkswagen, Stellantis, Hyundai,ToyotaOverseas companies including Toyota Motors and Nissan are also frequently replacing their senior management to cope with more intense competition.

It can be seen that in the reshuffle of the auto market in the past six months, most auto companies have found it difficult to remain immune.

The complicated situation of hundreds of senior executives resigning, transferring, changing jobs, and being promoted also reflects the profound changes facing the entire automotive industry, and embodies the urgency of traditional automakers to transform to new energy vehicles, the tension of joint ventures to increase localization and sprint sales, and the anxiety of fierce competition and high KPI pressure among new car manufacturers.

The competition in the racing circle is endless, and personnel changes are constant.

1. State-owned enterprises introduce external executives, and executives born in the 1970s take up the banner

According to statistics, among local automobile companies, state-owned automobile companies have experienced relatively more personnel changes in the past six months.

A total of 27 senior management position adjustment incidents have occurred in the five major state-owned automobile companies, including SAIC, FAW, BAIC, Changan and Dongfeng, involving the top and second-in-command of the company, on a considerable scale.

▲Overview of changes in senior management of state-owned auto companies in the past six months

This includes adjustments to the leadership team caused by the retirement of a top leader, and what follows is a trend of younger top leaders in state-owned automobile companies.

Just last month, Jia Jianxu, who was born in 1978 and is only 46 years old this year, took over the heavy responsibility from Wang Xiaoqiu and became the president and deputy secretary of the party committee of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Limited, while Wang Xiaoqiu succeeded the retired Chen Hong as chairman.

▲Jia Jianxu, President and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation

Looking further back, in March this year, the three major state-owned automobile groups collectively changed their leaders, and a large number of people born in the 1970s, or "post-70s" came to the fore.

In mid-March, Liu Yigong was promoted to the new general manager of FAW Group. He was born in 1968.

▲Liu Yigong, the new general manager of FAW Group

Zhang Jianyong, who was born in 1976, was appointed as the new chairman of BAIC Group at the end of March.Dongfeng MotorGeneral Manager Zhou Zhiping was born in 1971, and Chen Bin, current member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and deputy general manager of FAW, was born in 1976.

▲Chen Bin, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of FAW

Many cases have proved that state-owned automobile companies are gradually trying to optimize their internal organizational structure and management system, with young leading cadres taking the lead and their demands for transformation becoming increasingly clear.

Interestingly, the backgrounds of newly promoted senior executives at state-owned auto companies are also showing a trend of diversification. Not only are they promoted from within the company, but there are also cases where multiple state-owned enterprises transfer talent to each other.

For example, Chen Bin, an "old Dongfeng man" and former executive vice president and party secretary of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile, has worked at Dongfeng for 26 years and has now been promoted to member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and deputy general manager of FAW.

Zhang Jianyong, who has worked in the BAIC system for nearly 20 years, took over from Jiang Deyi as chairman of BAIC Group just two years after he became a member of the Party Committee and deputy director of the Beijing State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.Beijing HyundaiChairman Gong Yueqiong joined Chery Automobile.

▲Zhang Jianyong, Chairman of BAIC Group

Driven by the wave of electrification and intelligence, state-owned enterprises are keeping pace with market trends, continuously optimizing their cadre teams, and actively transforming. Senior personnel changes may bring new vitality and opportunities, and promote the sustained and healthy development of state-owned automobile companies.

2. Frequent changes in joint venture executives, technology and marketing efforts

In addition to state-owned automakers, there have also been many senior management changes at joint venture automakers in China. Five joint venture automakers, including SAIC-GM, Changan Ford, Changan Mazda, Zhengzhou Nissan, and FAW-Volkswagen, are all making personnel adjustments.

▲Overview of changes in senior management of joint venture auto companies in the past six months

Overall, the personnel changes in joint venture cars show a relatively uniform trend, with technical experts and marketing executives coming to the fore. This feature is vividly reflected in the personnel adjustments of SAIC-GM.

On August 9, there were another major change in SAIC executives. This is the eighth personnel adjustment at SAIC in the past six months.

SAIC-GM announced that, following the decision of the Party Committee of SAIC Group, Lu Xiao, former Executive Vice President of Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, will replace Zhuang Jingxiong as General Manager of SAIC-GM.

▲ Zhuang Jingxiong, former general manager of SAIC General Motors

The position of deputy general manager of SAIC-GM will be held by Xue Haitao, general manager of SAIC-GM-Wuling Sales Company and current member of the executive committee, who will be responsible for marketing-related work.

The new general manager Lu Xiao is a technical expert with more than 20 years of experience. He joined the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in 1997 and has served in important positions such as chief engineer of mid-sized vehicle platform, executive director of project management, deputy general manager and executive deputy general manager of the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center.

He also ledBuick Regal、LaCrosse,as well asChevroletHe was responsible for the research and development of important models such as Malibu and was the first Chinese chief engineer in GM's global platform.

Xue Haitao, who worked with him, was a marketing backbone born in the 1980s. He had been the general manager of SAIC-GM-Wuling Sales Company for 8 years and had builtHongguang MINI EV、Wuling BingoPopular models and brands such as the 2019 GM Wuling Model S and the 2020 GM Wuling Model S continue to promote the expansion of GM Wuling's overseas business.

▲Xue Haitao, Deputy General Manager of SAIC-GM

Facing the competition in the second half of the year, SAIC-GM has pushed its experts in technology and marketing to the forefront. This new combination will also become key players in SAIC-GM's proactive transformation.

In addition to the above personnel, Hu Shaohang, who was transferred to the Brand Public Relations Department of FAW Group, and FAW-VolkswagenAudiZhang Qiang, deputy general manager of the sales department, is also a marketing veteran.

▲Hu Shaohang, who was transferred to the Brand Public Relations Department of FAW Group, is in charge of the work

Under the impact of the price war, joint venture automakers are generally in a predicament of sluggish sales, and even try to save themselves by slashing prices. Faced with the current difficulties, joint venture automakers are striving to achieve a comprehensive breakthrough at this stage through internal reforms and organizational optimization, and marketing efforts.

Not only are domestic joint ventures going crazy, but foreign car companies are also getting into it.

In the past six months, 11 overseas automakers have experienced 40 executive changes. It seems that in the current context, overseas automakers are also unable to escape the loss of executives. After the personnel changes, the newly reorganized leadership team is also expected to bring some vitality to the company.

▲Changes in senior management of overseas auto companies in the past six months

3. Great Wall executives come and go, Geely accelerates internal adjustments

Among the personnel change cases in the past six months, there have been relatively few changes in private car manufacturing companies, but they are also concentrated in two car companies, Great Wall and Geely.

▲Changes in senior management of local private car companies in the past six months

Just last July, Great Wall lost the head of a core project again.

Yang Jifeng, the AI ​​technology boss of Great Wall Motors and the head of AI Lab, the technical middle platform for building a full-link AI technology system, has resigned.

▲Yang Jifeng, former head of Great Wall AI Lab

According to public reports, Yang Jifeng joined Great Wall Motors in 2021 as director of intelligent R&D platform, responsible for Salon brand's intelligent driving, smart cockpit and other intelligent R&D businesses.

Previously, Yang Jifeng also joined FAW-Volkswagen Audi to develop ADAS, and worked at the Innovation Center of the China Electric Vehicle 100.

Currently, Yang Jifeng has joined Caresoft Global, an engineering solutions company, as a partner.

BeforeHarvardQiao Xinyu, Executive Vice President of Marketing, has also been confirmed to be moving to a new position. He is also a veteran of Great Wall Motors. He has worked at Great Wall for five years, serving as Director of Product Planning Department,Wei brandPositions such as CMO, Deputy General Manager, and Executive Vice President of Haval Marketing.

▲LotusMarketing Director Qiao Xinyu

Qiao Xinyu left Great Wall Motors at the beginning of this year and has now been confirmed to have joined Lotus as "Marketing Director".

Prior to this, he worked atBenz, Volkswagen and Great Wall Motors. He had served as sales area supervisor at Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd., Volkswagen China Phaeton marketing manager, regional marketing director and brand senior manager.

The departure of two senior executives, Yang Jifeng and Qiao Xinyu, also reflects the high turnover rate of external executives at Great Wall Motors.

The wave of resignations of external executives from Great Wall Motors has never stopped since 2019. The longest time these executives have worked at Great Wall Motors is only 5 years, and the shortest is only 3 months.

In particular, Weipai, a brand under Great Wall, is facing tremendous sales pressure. Since its establishment 8 years ago, it has changed its leaders 9 times, including Yan Si, Liu Yan, Zhang Honghan, Yu Fei, Qiao Xinyu, Chen Siying and other foreign executives.

▲ Chen Siying

However, unlike the job-hopping of Great Wall Motors executives, Geely's executive changes in the past six months have tended to be internal adjustments, with the focus being on Xingji Meizu andPole StarThe joint venture company Polestar Technologies was established.

Both Geely executives, Shen Ziyu and Qin Peiji, have joined Polestar, serving as chairman and CEO and the new chief operating officer respectively.

▲ Shen Ziyu, Chairman and CEO of Polestar Technology

Regarding the background of executive changes, Geely and Great Wall are somewhat similar, as both are facing sales pressure on their high-end new energy brands.

As Geely Group andVolvoThe group jointly established the globalHigh-performance electric car brand, Polestar Auto is having a hard time right now.

On July 3, Polestar Auto released its first quarter financial report for 2024. The financial report showed that Polestar Auto delivered only 7,200 vehicles in the first quarter, a year-on-year decrease of 40%, which was far below market expectations.

▲Polestar Automotive’s first quarter financial report

Polestar's revenue in the first quarter of this year was $345 million (about RMB 2.5 billion), down 36% year-on-year. In addition, Polestar's net loss in the first quarter reached $274 million (about RMB 2 billion), nearly 7 times the same period last year.

In addition, in the first quarter of this year, Polestar's gross profit margin turned from positive to negative, falling to -8.9%, while the gross profit margin in the same period last year was 4.3%.

▲Polestar car store

Although the addition of Geely executives represents Polestar’s urgent determination to transform technology, Polestar still has a long way to go in its sales battle and needs to continue to explore.

4. 16 executives of emerging forces have changed positions, with Xiaopeng and NIO suffering the most losses

Senior executives of traditional car companies are frequently replaced, and the situation of emerging car companies is not optimistic either.

Brands such as Leapmotor, Xpeng, NIO, and Nio have all experienced executive exodus, with the number reaching 16.

▲Overview of changes in new car executives in the past six months

It is reported that Leapmotor Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Zhang Weili has jumped to Geely Brand Communication Center as CBO.

Jiao Qingchun, organizational director of Xiaopeng Technology Center, and Lin Yishu, head of Xiaopeng Intelligent Driving in North America, also resigned one after another.

The same situation applies to NIO’s Chief Financial Officer Feng Wei, Vice President of Digital Cockpit Software Development Zhang Lei, and Head of Jiyue Marketing Yang Zhen.

▲NIO Chief Financial Officer Feng Wei

Overall, personnel changes in emerging car companies are concentrated in NIO and Xpeng. The impact of frequent personnel transfers on Xpeng and NIO remains to be seen. However, among NIO, Xpeng faces the greatest sales pressure.

As of July 31 this year, Xpeng Motors has delivered a total of 63,100 new vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 20%, but it has only achieved 23% of its annual sales target of 280,000 vehicles.

NIO delivered a total of 107,900 new vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 43.85%. This only represents 47% of its annual sales target of 230,000 vehicles.

In the first seven months of this year, neither Xpeng nor NIO has reached halfway of its annual sales target, and they still face tremendous sales pressure in the second half of the year.

▲Automakers’ sales and annual sales target completion in 2024

However, in the second half of this year, the new cars MONA M03 and Ledao L60 from Xpeng and NIO will also be gradually launched on the market. Whether the sales of the two companies can achieve further breakthroughs in the peak season for new car sales in the second half of the year will only be known at the end of the year.

Conclusion: Car companies need to reform urgently

Over the past six months, more than 100 executive changes have occurred in 29 auto companies. The complexity and close timing of these events also reflect the fierce competition in the auto market in the first half of the year.

Against the backdrop of the rapid development of the new energy vehicle market and the continued escalation of price wars, most automakers are caught in a dilemma of sluggish sales.

Joint venture sales are sluggish, local traditional automakers are having difficulty transforming, and new forces are facing an intensified reshuffle. Many automakers have started self-help mode, adjusting their organizational structure inwards to cope with the more volatile auto market in the second half of the year. However, whether the replacement of the top and second-in-command will have any effect remains to be seen.