XPeng Faces Sales Model Challenges Amid Staffing Adjustments And Leadership Shifts: Report

New staffing adjustments are reportedly underway within XPeng Inc.‘s XPEV sales team, signaling challenges in the company’s shift to a more dealer-dependent model.

Gu Yuanqin, former XPeng vice president of financial platform operations and management, has assumed the role of head of sales, taking over the duties of previous head of sales Wang Tong, CnEV Post reported, citing local media.

Before joining Xpeng, Gu, 63, contributed to the development of Xpeng’s lane-level navigation and the positioning system at his former company. Wang, who oversaw key account sales operations, assumed leadership of sales after the merger of Xpeng’s direct and distribution systems in 2023. He has since transitioned to lead the president’s office operations, CnEV Post added.

XPeng previously attempted to boost sales by implementing sales channel adjustments, such as mandating dealers to acquire a specific number of vehicles monthly. However, this strategy is reportedly encountering obstacles, as noted by CnEV Post.

In its early stages, the electric vehicle manufacturer employed a direct sales model, managing its initial 20 stores directly.

On May 21, Tencent News revealed that Yu Tao, currently the head of marketing for smartphone maker Oppo’s OnePlus brand, will likely join XPeng as its vice president of marketing soon, CnEV Post added.

Yu will oversee marketing, public relations and communications, reporting directly to President Wang Fengying, the report added.

Previously, XPeng’s vice president of marketing was Yi Han, who spearheaded marketing efforts for Geely, Volvo, Lynk & Co, Smart and Radar. He departed XPeng in January and returned to Smart as CEO of its China region.

XPeng aims to sell 280,000 units this year, which requires an average of over 30,000 units per month for the remainder of the year, according to CnEV Post, citing a local media source.

This target poses a significant challenge for Xpeng, as it has yet to surpass 10,000 units per month this year, the report said.

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