Reportedly Tesla China ex‑GM Kong Yanshuang joins Xiaomi (小米) to oversee car sales

Ex‑Tesla executive brought in to sharpen Xiaomi Auto's retail push

It has been reported that Kong Yanshuang (孔艳双), the former China general manager of Tesla (特斯拉), has joined Xiaomi (小米) and will take on responsibilities related to automobile sales, reportedly replacing Xiaomi’s former auto director Li Xiaorui (李晓锐). Sources say Kong began at Xiaomi in early March and is currently in a handover period; Xiaomi has not issued an official appointment notice. It has also been reported that another Tesla‑background employee, known as “Eason,” joined at the same time and is serving as a political commissar (政委) within Xiaomi’s auto division.

A deliberate talent grab to build retail muscle

Why poach senior Tesla staff? Industry sources say Xiaomi’s retail blueprint for its EV business has long taken inspiration from Tesla’s direct‑to‑consumer model, and the company has already staffed provincial and regional posts with significant Tesla experience. A person close to Xiaomi reportedly described the new hires’ immediate placement into the Group’s Strategy Office (参谋部) — a senior team that advises the CEO — as unusually rapid, signaling the perceived “golden” value of the recruits and Xiaomi’s urgency to lift its retail capabilities.

Wider context: competition, scale and geopolitics

Xiaomi Auto is scaling quickly: IT Home reports the company delivered more than 410,000 cars in 2025, had cumulative deliveries above 600,000 as of February 13, 2026, and set a 2026 target of 550,000 units for the year. Talent movement from foreign automakers into China’s fast‑moving EV startups is common, but it unfolds against a backdrop of heightened U.S.‑China technology tensions and tighter export controls, factors that make transfers of know‑how and supply‑chain strategy politically sensitive and closely watched by regulators and rivals alike.