Tesla hiring in Shanghai as production ramps up

By Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Tesla Inc has launched a hiring spree in Shanghai with plans to bring on designers at its China studio and about 1,000 factory workers, job posts show, as the U.S. electric vehicle maker ramps up production in the world’s biggest auto market.

The posts on the Tesla human resources department’s official WeChat account mark the first time the California-based automaker has looked to hire designers in China. Tesla said in January it planned to open a design and research centre in China to make “Chinese-style” cars.

The posts did not reveal how many designers Tesla planned to hire.

The company also planned to hire 600 workers at stamping, bodywork, painting and assembly workshops in Shanghai, according to a separate job post by the Lingang local government. Another 150 workers were needed for quality checks, 200 for logistics work and 20 for security, it added.

Two sources familiar with the matter said the recruitment drive was partly for the preparation of Model Y sport-utility vehicles at the Shanghai plant. Tesla is building manufacturing facilities for Model Ys in Shanghai from next year.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company delivered over 30,000 units in China in the past quarter, most of them locally made Model 3 sedans.

In March it advertised for solar and energy storage project managers in China, as it moves to expand its energy business into the country.

(Reporting by Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh; Editing by Stephen Coates)