Tesla hires a longtime Audi executive to take over vehicle production

Tesla has hired Audi executive Peter Hochholdinger as its new Vice President of Vehicle Production, following the departure of two senior production managers earlier this month, the company said in a statement emailed to The Verge this evening.

Hochholdinger will be in charge of production of the current Model S and Model X, as well as scaling up the manufacturing program for the newly announced Model 3. Tesla has received more than 400,000 preorders for its latest vehicle, a number far in excess of the number of cars the company has made to date.

At Audi, Hochholdinger has been in charge of production for the A4, A5, and Q5 vehicles, in charge of production of 400,000 vehicles per year, and oversees thousands of employees, the statement says. He's also been working as an advisor on a new Audi production facility in Mexico.

"Tesla is excited to have Peter join the team," the statement reads, which did not specify a start date.