Song, who previously worked at General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., joined Tesla in 2018 as the first employee of the electric car maker’s first factory outside the US.
Fei Wenjin, who was recently promoted to senior director from director of quality, will take over Song’s responsibilities for now, said the people, who asked not to identified because Song’s departure isn’t public information.
Song, whose title was vice president of manufacturing, also spent time working for Tesla in the US, where he was involved in factory construction and the business planning of potential facilities. He then returned to Shanghai to set up Tesla’s Megapack battery factory, which is expected to start production in the first quarter of 2025.
Tesla representatives didn’t respond to a request for comment on Song’s departure. Song also wasn’t immediately able to be reached for comment.
Shipments from Tesla’s Shanghai factory, including vehicles for domestic delivery and export, fell for a second month in November to 78,856 units, according to China’s Passenger Car Association.
Despite increased government subsidies to entice more consumers to buy an EV, Tesla was forced to roll out a series of incentives including direct price cuts and low-interest financing plans as it contends with aggressive competitors such as BYD Co.
