Mathew Qui becomes new Aiways CEO

The Chinese electric car manufacturer Aiways has made changes to key management positions. Matthew Qiu, the current Chief Production Officer, will become the new CEO of Aiways, replacing Charlie (Yang) Zhang in this role.

In turn, Charlie Zhang is to take over as chairman of the supervisory board. This position was previously held by William Chen, who remains a regular member of the supervisory board.

Aiways says that Charlie Zhang’s new task as chairman of the supervisory board is to drive the current strategy forward and to further the globalisation of the brand. According to the company’s press release, Zhang will “coordinate his efforts with his successor Matthew Qiu, with whom he has worked closely and successfully on the Aiways board”. The company sees Qiu’s decision to appoint an “experienced engineer” and the former production director as CEO as a “clear signal” for the direction of the brand: Aiways stands “not only for advanced technology, but also for the highest quality of products”.

“William Chen has been able to work in a very challenging business environment and during the pandemic, and has steered the company through stormy seas,” Alexander Klose, Executive Vice President Overseas Operations at Aiways, said in the company’s German statement. “He is now handing over, and I am delighted, to Charlie Zhang, who is the ideal strategist for the further steps of the global expansion and keeps the coordination channels short and efficient through a close relationship of trust with the new CEO Matthew Qiu.”

The company’s strategy saw a marked change in January this year when former Nio executive Charlie (Yang) Zhang became the company’s new CEO. Aiways was founded in 2017 by Fu Qiang and was intended to become an internationally established manufacturer of electric cars. Consequently, unlike Nio, Xpeng or Li Auto, Aiways quickly focused on expansion rather than sales in the Chinese market. With its market entry in Sweden announced in December last year, Aiways is already active in ten European countries.

presseportal.de (in German)