Xiaomi is aggressively poaching talent from Tesla, and six top executives are reported to have joined Xiaomi within a week.

Xiaomi Auto has successively welcomed several former Tesla executives to join both at home and abroad.

According to a report by CheDongXi on April 7th, foreign media reported that Xiaomi has hired Dieter Lorenz as its head of European delivery and logistics. Lorenz was previously a senior manager of delivery operations in Central Europe at Tesla.

Foreign media reported that Xiaomi has hired Dieter Lorenz

Meanwhile, according to comments on Lorenz's personal social media account, at least one other former Tesla European operations staff member has also joined Xiaomi, indicating that Xiaomi is specifically recruiting logistics professionals from Tesla in Europe.

This move shows that Xiaomi Auto is actively establishing an operational system in Europe in preparation for its entry into the European market in 2027.

At the same time, Xiaomi Auto has also been active in the domestic market. It has also set its sights on Tesla. Just a few days ago, it was reported that several former Tesla executives have successively joined Xiaomi.

Summary of information on former Tesla executives who recently joined Xiaomi Auto

01. Worked at Tesla for more than six years and served as a senior manager of delivery operations in Central Europe

According to public information, Lorenz worked at Tesla in Germany for more than six years and was continuously promoted in positions related to operations.

Dieter Lorenz (Image source: Internet)

Lorenz began to serve as an operations supervisor in early 2020, and was later promoted to the operations manager in Germany. Subsequently, his scope of responsibility expanded to Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, and finally covered the entire Central European region.

By September 2024, Lorenz held the position of senior manager of delivery operations in Central Europe at Tesla - one of the most important regional logistics positions at Tesla.

In a LinkedIn post announcing his departure from Tesla, Lorenz wrote that he is now "looking forward to starting a new chapter at Xiaomi Technology as the head of European delivery and logistics, and embracing new challenges and opportunities."

Lorenz posted to announce his joining of Xiaomi Auto (Image source: Internet)

The post received dozens of comments, including messages from former Tesla colleagues. Notably, another former Tesla European operations employee, Marvin M., also seems to have joined Xiaomi. Marvin commented that they will continue to work together at Xiaomi.

Comments after Lorenz's post (Image source: Internet)

Lorenz's joining is not an isolated move in Xiaomi Auto's layout in Europe, but an important part of its overall strategic advancement.

Xiaomi Auto opened a European R & D and design center in Munich in September 2025, led by former BMW motorcycle manager Rudolf Dittrich and former BMW i design director Kai Langer.

Now, Xiaomi Auto's plan to enter the European market is obviously expanding from the R & D and design fields to the operational field - delivery logistics, vehicle registration, and after - sales service. It is reported that Xiaomi has been actively recruiting managers, heads of retail operations, and vehicle logistics experts in multiple European markets (including Germany, France, and Spain).

Lu Weibing, partner, president of Xiaomi Group, president of the mobile phone department, and general manager of the Xiaomi brand, once said at an earnings conference that 2027 will be the first year for Xiaomi Auto to enter overseas markets.

Xiaomi SU7 Ultra on display overseas

Judging from the situation of Xiaomi Auto hiring a head of delivery and logistics, Xiaomi Auto is seriously promoting the sale of cars in Europe before 2027.

02. Several former Tesla executives have successively joined, covering sales and manufacturing

In addition to the talent layout in the European market, recently, several former Tesla executives have also successively joined Xiaomi Auto in the domestic market, further enriching Xiaomi Auto's operation and manufacturing teams.

According to reports from multiple media on April 1st, Kong Yanshuang, the former general manager of Tesla China, has joined Xiaomi and will replace Li Xiaorui, the former director of Xiaomi Auto, to be responsible for automobile sales.

Kong Yanshuang (Image source: Internet)

Public information shows that Kong Yanshuang has served as the general manager of Tesla China and the general manager of the South China region, and has long led the layout of Tesla's sales system and brand promotion in the Chinese market.

Additionally, it is reported that an employee named "Eason" with a Tesla background also joined Xiaomi at the same time as Kong Yanshuang.

On the same day, another media reported that Song Gang, the former vice - president of production and manufacturing at the Tesla Shanghai factory, will join Xiaomi Auto. According to informed sources, Song Gang may serve as the factory director after joining Xiaomi Auto.

Song Gang (Image source: Internet)

Public information shows that Song Gang joined Tesla in 2018 and became the first employee at the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory. He has served as the senior director of production and manufacturing, vice - president of production and manufacturing, and the factory director of the Shanghai factory at Tesla (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

During his tenure, Song Gang participated in the construction of the Shanghai factory, went to the United States to participate in factory construction and business planning, and was also responsible for the establishment of the Tesla Shanghai Energy Storage Gigafactory.

On December 18, 2024, Song Gang left Tesla. At that time, there were reports that Song Gang would join Xiaomi Auto. A few days later, Song Gang joined Envision Energy and served as the senior vice - president of the integrated supply chain.

Also in the manufacturing aspect, according to another media report, You Hailong, the former production head of the Tesla welding workshop, may also have joined Xiaomi Auto.

03. Conclusion: Xiaomi has recruited several Tesla manufacturing and sales talents

Overseas, it is a wise move for Xiaomi Auto to hire a former Tesla senior manager of delivery operations in Central Europe. Because when entering a new regional market, it is necessary to have talents who know how to transport cars from ports to a dozen countries with different regulations and registration processes.

Domestically, the joining of former Tesla core executives such as Kong Yanshuang and Song Gang at the operation and production ends of Xiaomi Auto is further improving Xiaomi Auto's full - chain capabilities in R & D, production, sales, and logistics.

With the increase of core talents and the continuous improvement of the operational system, the competitiveness of Xiaomi Auto in the global new - energy vehicle market is expected to be further enhanced in the future.

This article is from the WeChat official account “CheDongXi”, author: Zhang Rui, editor: Zhi Hao. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.