Tesla is experiencing another wave of departures, and the person - in - charge of three "legendary cars" has left at the same time.

Within just one day, Tesla lost two top executives in succession.

According to foreign media reports, Siddhant Awasthi, the head of Tesla's Cybertruck project, announced earlier this month that he would be leaving the company after more than eight years of service. Inside Tesla, he was also the core person in charge of the Model 3 project.

Just a few hours after Awasthi announced his departure from the company, Emmanuel Lamacchia, the project manager of the best - selling Model Y, also officially announced his departure from Tesla.

So far, the three models, Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck, have all lost their core leaders.

Reuters analysis shows that the recent departure of several core executives from Tesla is related on the one hand to the company's strategic shift towards artificial intelligence, and on the other hand, to the unclear prospects of some automotive business segments.

In recent years, Tesla has witnessed a continuous outflow of core talents. In particular, executives in key areas such as intelligent driving and automobile production have left Tesla to start their own businesses or join other automakers, becoming new leaders in their own right.

Lost Two "Soul Figures" in One Day

Awasthi announced this news on his social media platform. In his post, he said, "After an extraordinary career journey, I recently made one of the toughest decisions in my life - to leave Tesla."

According to his LinkedIn profile, Awasthi started his career at Tesla as an intern and has been working there ever since. Recently, he mainly coordinated the Cybertruck project at the company, responsible for the entire process of the project from the engineering stage to mass production, and led product strategy, quality improvement, and supply - chain management.

It can be seen that Awasthi played a key role in the launch of the Cybertruck. Inside the company, he officially took over the leadership of the Model 3 project last July. In his recent LinkedIn post, he thanked Tesla for nurturing his career -

"When I first joined the company as an intern eight years ago, I never imagined that one day I would be able to lead an important project like the Cybertruck and turn it into a reality."

On the same day after Awasthi officially announced his departure, Lamacchia, the head of the Model Y project, also announced his departure.

Lamacchia joined Tesla in 2018. Before that, he was responsible for engine production at Rolls - Royce. During his more than four - year tenure at Tesla, he had been overseeing the Model Y project and managing the production of this model.

Like Awasthi, Lamacchia also said goodbye to Tesla on his LinkedIn. He wrote, "What a wonderful journey... From leading the new product introduction (NPI) of the Model 3 and Model Y to becoming the automotive project manager of the world's best - selling car, the Model Y."

In his view, the global production launch of the new Model Y was the highlight of his career. The team completed the production - line conversion across four factories on three continents in just two weeks, creating an unprecedented feat in the automotive industry.

The departure of these two manufacturing elites is surely something Elon Musk doesn't want to see. In fact, within just one year, the leadership of Tesla's automotive business has gradually "fallen apart." Before Lamacchia and Awasthi left, the company had already lost several project supervisors -

Among them are David Zhang, the person in charge of the Model S and Model X projects, and Daniel Ho, the person in charge of the Model 3 project.

It is reported that Daniel Ho had a very high reputation within the company. He was highly praised by the industry for successfully leading Tesla's first mass - produced electric vehicle, the Model 3. However, as part of Tesla's large - scale layoff wave last year, he was fired by Musk and later joined the autonomous driving company Waymo.

David Zhang has been leading the Model S and Model X projects at Tesla since 2018. Before the projects were handed over to Lamacchia and Awasthi respectively, he also personally led the Model Y and Cybertruck projects. In the last period of his tenure at Tesla, he was also responsible for the company's first mass - produced electric convertible sports car, the Roadsters, and other long - term projects.

In August this year, Peter Bannon, the vice - president of Tesla's hardware design engineering, was reported to have left the company. He was the head of the company's Dojo supercomputer team and had previously worked at Apple, participating in the design of the iPhone's processors from A5 to A9.

Before Peter Bannon, Milan Kovac, the engineering head of the Optimus humanoid robot project, had left. According to public information, in June this year, Omead Afshar, a vice - president who had long been trusted by Musk, also left Tesla.

Cybertruck's Dilemma Intensifies

There have been signs this year that the future of the once - highly - anticipated Cybertruck project is now shrouded in uncertainty.

As the head of the Cybertruck project, Awasthi was once tasked with turning the concept car into a mass - produced reality. In his farewell letter on LinkedIn, Awasthi thanked the company's founder, Elon Musk, and his colleagues. He mentioned his pride in increasing the production of the Model 3, launching the Shanghai Gigafactory, and achieving mass production of the Cybertruck, but he did not disclose the reason for his departure or his future plans.

Similarly, he didn't mention any of the real - world problems within Tesla, such as internal pressure, overstocked new - car inventory, and downward - adjusted sales targets.

What we can see is that Awasthi's departure came at a critical time when Tesla's pickup - truck dream was facing the harsh reality -

In the third quarter of this year, the sales of the Cybertruck in the United States plunged by about 63% year - on - year, with only about 5,400 units sold. This figure represents a cliff - like decline compared to the once - boasted "ambition" of selling 250,000 units a year.

Meanwhile, large - scale recalls of the Cybertruck have occurred frequently.

In March this year, Tesla recalled more than 46,000 Cybertrucks because the body panels of these vehicles were at risk of falling off due to defective glue. The recall volume of 46,000 units also represents the total production of the Cybertruck since commercial production began in November 2023.

In October, Tesla recalled nearly 6,200 Cybertrucks again because the front parking lights were too bright, which did not comply with regulations.

In fact, just in 2024, Tesla recalled the Cybertruck as many as seven times due to problems such as faulty tire - pressure monitoring systems, stuck accelerator pedals, and inverter delays.

Since the beginning of this year, the inventory pressure of the Cybertruck has gradually become prominent. In the US market, Tesla showrooms have quietly offered discounts of thousands of dollars. In Tesla's automotive business segment, the Cybertruck has become a manufacturing and financial burden for the company.

Tesla has always been proud of the speed and scale advantages of its new - car mass production. However, when the once - booming sales are replaced by price cuts to clear inventory, this positive narrative has broken down. Globally, the Cybertruck still attracts attention, but the harsh realities of scale, cost, and market demand have repeatedly challenged Musk's ambition for pickups.

In the eyes of industry insiders, the current Cybertruck project is more like a high - cost experiment with unsolved defects: overweight, limited range, and potential market - demand risks hidden behind its futuristic design...

The Cybertruck was supposed to widen Tesla's profit moat and become a weapon to capture the most profitable luxury - pickup - truck segment from competitors like Ford and General Motors. But now, it is accelerating to become a touchstone to test the limits of Musk's promises.

Awasthi's departure also reflects the exhaustion of Tesla's top - level management. The loss of confidence among the management has now become a new narrative for Tesla.

Musk once personally defined Tesla's corporate culture and principle of "rapid innovation." Ironically, at a critical juncture when the automotive and other businesses are under pressure, this principle is at risk of being replaced by a state of "being constantly on the go."

This article is from the WeChat official account "Automotive Commune" (ID: iAUTO2010), author: Beian. It is published by 36Kr with permission.