Tesla's Tom Zhu, the head of China, is now taking over North America, specifically sales, service, and deliveries, according to Electrek.
The news comes after the rumor that Zhu would replace Elon Musk as the CEO of the company. In addition, there were reports earlier that Zhu was asked to lead the Gigafactory in Texas.
However, things changed when over the past few weeks, Zhu stepped down as the official representative of Tesla's China corporation and is being groomed to play a bigger role in the US.
A More Important Role in the US
Zhu remains to be vice president in charge of Asia/Pacific, but several sources said that he has now been added to the North American sales, service, and delivery organization chart.
It is known that Troy Jones is the VP of North American sales and service as Tesla and reports directly to Musk. Now, he reports directly to Zhu.
The Success of Tom Zhu
Zhu continues to rise at the company. Initially, he was hired to develop the Supercharger network in China, but he quickly took over all responsibility for Tesla in China. After that, he took over Asia/Pacific role.
Indeed, Tesla grew significantly with his help, which also led to the construction of the Gigafactory in Shanghai. The Gigafactory now plays a significant role to the company's bottom line.
Currently, Zhu will take over sales leadership, especially at a time when the new federal tax credit for electric vehicles is taking place.
Replicating the Success of Shanghai's Gigafactory
The upcoming huge expansion of the Shanghai Gigafactory will certainly make Zhu's ascendency even more significant. His skills in managing huge expansion is a boon for Tesla as it plans to expand into new markets such as India and Europe.
Indeed, Zhu has proven himself a capable leader in China, an expansion he will certainly replicate in North America. It is an exciting time to be a Tesla executive.
Chinese Workforce
Zhu is known to be an expert in the Chinese workforce, and his knowledge of the local market will certainly be beneficial to Tesla in the US, just as he did in China. The US labor force is quite different, and it is not surprising that Zhu will take time to master the US market.
It is a bold step that is being taken by the company, however, it remains to be seen if it will be as successful as it was in China. It is a step that will certainly seal the position of Tesla as a global company, rather than a company that is mainly influenced by the US.
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