Wang will continue to serve as a senior advisor to the company until December 31, 2022, to ensure a smooth transition, Li Auto said.

(Image credit: Li Auto)

After being reported in the media last week, Li Auto confirmed that its CTO, Wang Kai, is leaving the company.

Wang has tendered his resignation as the company's chief technology officer for personal reasons, Li Auto said in a statement today.

The company's chief engineer, Ma Donghui, will be responsible for managing Li Auto's smart car technology development, the statement said.

Wang will continue to serve as a senior advisor to the company until December 31, 2022, to ensure a smooth transition, Li Auto said.

"On behalf of our board and the company's management team, we would like to thank Kai for his significant contribution to Li Auto's research and development and wish him all the best in his future personal and career endeavors," said Li Xiang, founder, chairman, and CEO of Li Auto.

On February 15, local media outlet 36kr reported that Wang would be leaving Li Auto, less than two years after he joined the company.

Wang will be the highest-ranking executive to leave Li Auto since its inception, and the businesses he managed, including autonomous driving, computing platform and operating system LiOS, have been handed over to Li Auto co-founder and chief engineer Ma, according to the report.

Following this restructuring, Ma will be fully responsible for Li Auto's vehicle, electric power, cockpit, smart driving, arithmetic platform, electrical and electronic architecture, and LiOS development.

Wang joined Li Auto in September 2020 as CTO and was responsible for the development and mass production of smart car-related technologies, including electrical and electronic architecture, smart cockpit, autonomous driving, platform development and LiOS.

Prior to joining Li Auto, Wang spent 8 years at Visteon, a German automotive supplier, where he served as Global Chief Architect and Director of Autonomous Driving.

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