According to Chinese media reports, Kong Yanshuang, former general manager of Tesla China, has joined Xiaomi, where she will take over automotive sales responsibilities previously held by Li Xiaorui, former director of Xiaomi Auto. Kong joined Xiaomi in early March and is currently in a handover period. Xiaomi has yet to issue an internal announcement regarding her official position. As of press time, Xiaomi Auto had not responded to the above reports. New-generation SU7 Public information shows that Kong Yanshuang was a key executive at Tesla China, holding positions including general manager for Tesla China’s South China region and general manager for China. She played a long-term role in shaping Tesla’s sales network and brand promotion in the Chinese market. During her tenure as general manager for Tesla China’s South China region, she was responsible for the deployment of service center networks in key cities such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as in lower-tier cities. Between 2022 and 2023, she gave media interviews as regional general manager of Tesla China, discussing the company’s performance and strategy in China, including milestones at the Shanghai Gigafactory and plans for model introductions. In May 2024, amid Tesla’s management reshuffle, Kong was transferred to the Shanghai region to replace the head of sales there, continuing to oversee management of the sales system and its expansion into lower-tier markets. 55 Tesla Supercharger stations officially launched at Chongqing expressways. It is understood that a former Tesla employee joined Xiaomi around the same time as Kong. The employee, known as “Eason,” serves as a “political commissar” within Xiaomi Auto and is also a member of Xiaomi’s Strategy Department. Xiaomi’s Strategy Department is a core unit tasked with assisting the CEO in formulating and overseeing the implementation of the group’s corporate strategy. According to sources familiar with the matter, it is extremely rare for new hires to enter the Strategy Department directly, highlighting the caliber of the recruit and Xiaomi’s determination to strengthen its automotive retail capabilities. Another internal employee revealed that Xiaomi Auto’s retail system was modeled after Tesla’s approach from the outset. Currently, a significant proportion of the heads of provincial companies and regional managers come from Tesla. Xiaomi Auto retail store According to plans, Xiaomi Auto’s sales target for 2026 is 550,000 vehicles, representing a roughly 34% increase from 410,000 units in 2025. Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi Auto, previously stated during a livestream that achieving the annual target of 550,000 units would require addressing several challenges: shortening delivery waiting times for customers, and ensuring the team stays fully committed while avoiding overreach. The addition of new senior executives could be key to enhancing the sales team’s capabilities. Earlier this morning, Xiaomi Auto announced that it delivered over 20,000 vehicles in March 2026, bringing cumulative deliveries for the year to more than 79,000 units. Among them, the new-generation SU7 has accumulated over 7,000 deliveries since its launch on March 23.
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