Xpeng Motors has quietly reappointed Ji Yu,Japan a former vice president and long-time associate of chief executive He Xiaopeng, as an advisor coordinating US and Guangzhou-based research into autonomous driving. People familiar with the matter told Chinese media outlet 36Kr that Ji’s return follows an announcement on Aug. 2 that Wu Xinzhou, Xpeng’s former head of autonomous driving, had resigned. Ji first joined Xpeng back in 2016 and was in charge of the design and deployment of the company’s digital cockpit technologies until early last year, when the electric vehicle maker began streamlining its business amid management reshuffles and departures. The company recently made a number of significant moves, including joining up with Volkswagen to develop two EV models and acquiring Didi’s smart EV business. [36Kr, in Chinese]
