Zhao Changjiang, former head of sales for BYD’s (OTCMKTS: BYDDY) premium Denza brand, has joined Luxeed — a new brand jointly established by Huawei and Chery (HKG: 9973) — as marketing general manager, local media outlet Jiemian reported today citing three sources.
Zhao subsequently said on Weibo that he was still on a break recently. He did not deny the report.
“Thank you all for your concern. If there are any changes, I will be sure to share them with you all,” he wrote on Weibo.
Born in 1986, Zhao was previously one of BYD Group’s youngest executives. Over the past few years, he led the launch of multiple Denza models and gained recognition for the brand’s rapid sales growth.
Zhao joined BYD immediately after graduating from university in 2009, rising from a sales manager to become marketing director for the Beijing-Tianjin region.
In 2017, at age 31, Zhao became the youngest general manager of a BYD sales company in the company’s history.
BYD relaunched the Denza brand in 2022, with Zhao serving as its sales head, overseeing channel development and marketing efforts.
Denza originated as a joint venture between BYD and Daimler AG — now Mercedes-Benz, which fully withdrew from the partnership in September 2024.
Denza unveiled its D9 MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) on May 16, 2022, as the brand’s first model under its renewed strategy, with the vehicle officially hit the market on August 23, 2022.
Despite subsequent launches including the N7, N8, Z9, and N9, the D9 remains Denza’s primary sales model.
Denza will celebrate the delivery of its 300,000th D9 MPV on November 29, the brand announced earlier today.
In July, Zhao swapped roles with Li Hui, general manager of Fang Cheng Bao’s direct sales division, stepping down from his four-year position as general manager of Denza’s sales division.
Last month, Zhao departed his role at Denza, concluding his 16-year career at BYD.
Luxeed is one of the brands under Huawei’s HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) umbrella, currently offering the S7 sedan and R7 coupe SUV.
On August 7, Huawei and Chery signed a new cooperation agreement to bring Luxeed into its “Phase 2.0.”
Luxeed will invest over RMB 10 billion ($1.4 billion) and expand its R&D team to 5,000 personnel to strengthen its technological leadership, the company said at the time.
Luxeed will invest over RMB 10 billion ($1.4 billion) and increase its R&D team to 5,000 people.
($1 = RMB 7.0800)
