New Tesla US Chief, No ICE For Hyundai In Norway, Volvo Buys Even More Safety

The Automotive Troublemaker w/ Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

It’s Tuesday already as Automotive welcomes everyone else back to work. Today we’re talking about Tesla’s new US Chief. We’re also covering the end of ICE sales for Hyunday in Norway, as well as the autonomous tech company now exclusively owned by Volvo

• In the latest news from Tesla headquarters China Chief Tom Zhu has been promoted to oversee the electric car maker's US Assembly plants as well as sales operations in the US, Europe, and North America making him the highest-profile executive at Tesla, second only to CEO Elon Musk.
  • Zhu will also continue to serve as Tesla's most senior executive for sales in the rest of Asia
  • Zhu was hired by Tesla last year to troubleshoot production issues in the US, and under his leadership, the Shanghai plant rebounded strongly from COVID lockdowns in China.
    • Co-workers have said Zhu was among the first batch of employees sleeping in the factory as they sought to keep it running
    • Known as a no-fuss manager w/ a buzz cut, favors Tesla-branded fleece jackets and has lived in a government-subsidized apartment that is a 10-minute drive from the Shanghai Gigafactory.
  • Note Tesla missed its annual sales target in 2022 although they did produce 1.31M vehicles, 40% more than 2021
    
• As of yesterday, Hyundai has completely stopped selling ICE vehicles in the country of Norway
  • Norway’s goal is to end ICE sales by 2025 with most vehicles currently having a plug and only a few percent being ICE
  • 2020 about 55% BEV, 2021 about 65%, 2022 estimated close to 80%
  • Thomas Rosvold, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor Norway - “We have great faith in our model portfolio, and now that we have launched the all-new IONIQ 6, the time has come to sell only all-electric cars in the Norwegian market.“
  • Norway is the 4th richest countries in the world, has population of 5.4M (greater Philadelphia) an is about the same size as New Mexico (pop 2.12 M)
  • Get 90% of their electricity from hydro sources
  • Have to speak Norwegian if you want to immigrate there
  • …speaking of nordic countries
• After buying out the last 13.5% of shares from ECARX, Volvo is now the proud owner of Zenseact, an autonomous driving software development company. The software company will remain a stand-alone subsidiary of the Swedish automaker
  • The company initially purchased 15% of the company in 2021
  • From the company’s site:
    • We’re a software company dedicated to revolutionizing car safety. By designing the complete software stack for autonomous driving and advanced driver-assistance systems, we’re fighting to end car accidents and make roads safe for everyone.

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