What’s new: Yu Chengdong, chief executive of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s smart car unit, has been appointed chairman of the unit, people familiar with the matter told Caixin.
Jin Yuzhi, who has been head of Huawei’s optical fiber business since 2019, will replace Yu as CEO of the company’s Intelligent Automotive Solution business unit, people close to the unit said. Yu will remain as CEO of the firm’s consumer business group.
Jin, also a vice president at Huawei, has been leading the expansion of the company’s optical technology into the automaking industry. Together with the smart car unit, Huawei has developed smart optical products for cars including display screens, intelligent headlights and augmented reality head-up displays — a technology that puts key information on the driver’s windscreen.
The background: The latest leadership changes come as Huawei struggles to grow its fledgling smart driving systems business.
Huawei announced its venture into the auto industry in 2019 in an effort to offset the impact of U.S. sanctions on its smartphone and consumer electronics business. Instead of manufacturing its own cars, Huawei partners with automakers via two major business models: Huawei Smart Selection and Huawei Inside.
The company has also been working hard to boost sales of its handsets. In late August, it quietly launched the flagship Mate 60 Pro, which is said to be powered by a self-developed chip that can rival the speed of 5G handsets. A number of distributors told Caixin in early September that the Mate 60 Pro was sold out upon delivery.
Related: Weekend Long Read: How Huawei Picks and Develops Talent
Contact reporter Kelsey Cheng (kelseycheng@caixin.com) and editor Bertrand Teo (bertrandteo@caixin.com)
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