Tesla recruits Audi veteran to lead production as it heads for mass market
by The Associated Press
Working to address delays and execute a massive scale-up, electric vehicle maker brings in new blood
Model S production at Tesla’s Fremont, Calif. plant. The automaker hopes Audi veteran Peter Hochholdinger will revvamp its production as well as draw up plans for its Model 3 production. PHOTO: Alexis Georgeson/Tesla
PALO ALTO, Calif.—A veteran Audi executive is joining Tesla Motors to lead production.
Peter Hochholdinger will be responsible for increasing and improving production of the electric vehicle maker’s Model S sedan and Model X SUV. He will also develop the production plan for the company’s lower-cost Model 3 sedan, which goes on sale next year.
Hochholdinger spent 22 years at Audi, the luxury arm of German automaker Volkswagen AG.
He joins Palo Alto, California- based Tesla as it plans a major increase in production. CEO Elon Musk said last week that Tesla wants to make 500,000 vehicles per year by 2018, two years earlier than initially planned. The automaker made 50,000 vehicles last year.
The EV maker’s former production chief left earlier this month after the launch of the Model X was plagued by delays and parts shortages.
