Xiaomi’s aggressive push into the electric vehicle market has taken a significant step forward with the reported recruitment of two key executives from its primary rival, Tesla China. The high-profile defections underscore Xiaomi’s determination to rapidly scale its automotive operations and overcome the production bottlenecks that currently constrain its growth.
According to reports circulating in early April 2026, Song Gang, the former vice president of production and manufacturing at Tesla’s highly efficient Shanghai Gigafactory, is set to join Xiaomi Auto. Song is expected to assume the role of factory director, forming a dual-core management structure alongside the current director, Ji Guowei. Song is widely credited as a central figure in the rapid construction and subsequent capacity ramp-up of Tesla’s Shanghai facility, earning him a reputation as a “gold medal factory director.”
Joining Song is Kong Yanshuang, the former general manager of Tesla China. Reports indicate that Kong joined Xiaomi Auto in early March and will replace Li Xiaorui as the executive in charge of automobile sales. Kong brings extensive experience in managing a massive, direct-to-consumer sales network through both periods of explosive growth and normalized demand.
The timing of these hires is critical for Xiaomi Auto. The company recently released its March 2026 delivery data, reporting a total volume exceeding 20,000 units. While impressive for a relatively new entrant, this figure highlights the immense challenge ahead. In the first quarter of 2026, Xiaomi Auto delivered over 79,000 vehicles. However, CEO Lei Jun has set an incredibly ambitious target of 550,000 deliveries for the full year. To achieve this, Xiaomi must average approximately 52,000 deliveries per month for the remainder of 2026—more than double its current monthly output.
Capacity limitation is the primary hurdle. Currently, the first and second phases of Xiaomi’s Beijing factories are operating at full capacity, capable of producing roughly 300,000 to 330,000 units annually. A third phase in Beijing, designed for 150,000 units, recently came online, and a new Wuhan factory with an additional 150,000-unit capacity is slated to open in May. Even with these additions, the total theoretical capacity barely covers the 550,000-unit target, leaving zero margin for error in production efficiency or supply chain management.
This is precisely where Song Gang’s expertise is required. His experience at Tesla Shanghai—renowned for its extreme production efficiency, high degree of automation, and rigorous supply chain control—is exactly what Xiaomi needs to maximize output from its existing and newly commissioned facilities.
Simultaneously, Kong Yanshuang’s arrival addresses the other side of the equation: sustaining demand. While the initial launch of the Xiaomi SU7 generated massive hype and a surge of orders, maintaining that momentum as the product matures requires a highly disciplined and institutionalized sales operation. Kong’s experience navigating Tesla China through periods of both intense popularity and normalized sales will be invaluable as Xiaomi Auto transitions from a “burst-style” launch phase to a period of steady, long-term retail execution.
By securing two of Tesla China’s most proven operators, Xiaomi is signaling that it is no longer just a disruptive tech company entering the EV space; it is building the operational maturity required to compete—and win—at the highest levels of global automotive manufacturing.