Former Chrysler VP joins Tesla to lead engineering effort
Until a couple of months ago, Mike Donoughe was a vice president at Chrysler and had been put in charge of the crash program to redesign the automaker's mid-sized sedans. Donoughe left Auburn Hills after 24 years and is now heading west to join Tesla Motors as Executive Vice President for vehicle development and manufacturing. In his new role Donoughe will be responsible for ongoing development and production of the Roadster as well as bringing the new Model S sedan to fruition sooner rather than later. Tesla has learned from the experience of trying to build the Roadster that while the fresh eyes of Silicon Valley may be helpful in creating new innovations, some experienced hands can be helpful with the more traditional parts of the process like dealing with suppliers and figuring out how to manufacture the all the bits and pieces and bolt them together. During our recent interview with Tesla Chairman Elon Musk, he indicated that several industry veterans would be coming aboard in the near future and Donoughe is just the first. The Tesla press release is after the jump.
[Source: Tesla Motors]
PRESS RELEASE
Mike Donoughe, Industry Veteran, Joins Tesla Motors as EVP Vehicle Engineering and Manufacturing
SAN CARLOS, CA – Mike Donoughe, a veteran auto industry executive, has joined Tesla Motors as Executive Vice President, Vehicle Engineering and Manufacturing. In this role, Mike will be responsible for manufacturing, supply chain, quality and operations for the company. In addition, Mike will oversee both the Roadster Program and the 'Model S' program, a 4 door, 5 passenger electric sports sedan.
Donoughe, 49, was previously Vice President of 'Project D' at Chrysler, where he led the redesign of their global mid-size vehicle portfolio. Mike spent 24 years at Chrysler, where he led various product creation efforts, including the Stow N Go minivans, Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Ram programs. Mike also spent 3 years with Mercedes Benz in Stuttgart as Director of passenger car development, M and R Class, and is recognized as one of the top engineers in the auto industry.
"Mike is a very valuable addition to our leadership team. His track record, expertise and leadership will help Tesla as we prepare for significant growth." said Tesla CEO Ze'ev Drori. "Mike's immediate priorities are to ensure that production of the Tesla Roadster runs smoothly and efficiently and to drive the continued development of our next car, the 'Model S' a 4 door, 5 passenger sports sedan."
"I joined the Tesla team because I am enthusiastic about Tesla's objective to integrate their disruptive EV technology into mainstream automobiles," said Mike Donoughe, "Tesla is creating vehicles that appeal to customers looking for environmentally sound & energy efficient solutions without compromising on functionality and performance. I look forward to contributing to these efforts as a part of the Tesla team."
Mike has been married for over 26 years to Shelley and has 3 grown children - David (24), Kaitlin (22), and Kelly (21). Mike will be based at Tesla's headquarters in San Carlos, CA.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
BigBlackBonner 3:32PM (7/08/2008)
There goes the neighborhood
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Mike 3:41PM (7/08/2008)
ughh... that's what they need, expert help from the people that have been making decisions at Chrysler.
Sure, it's a little unfair of me to generalize. But honestly, am I the only person that had this initial reaction to the news?
Probably not...
- mike
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brn 3:52PM (7/08/2008)
"that's what they need, expert help from the people that have been making decisions at Chrysler."
You mean Mercedes?
Kfleming 3:45PM (7/08/2008)
BMW will soon be giving Tesla a run for their money... http://www.thegreenmotorist.com/index.php/bmw-brings-it-with-hybrid-race-car/
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Serge 4:06PM (7/08/2008)
wow, a hybrid racer. "It can go from zero to sixty in six seconds". With that kind of performance it will give Prius are run for the money.
axiom 4:19PM (7/08/2008)
So they are coming out with a $30K electric sedan in 4 years like Tesla?
Serge 4:02PM (7/08/2008)
This is good news for Tesla. They are definitely building an A-team.
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Throwback 4:19PM (7/08/2008)
The powers that be at Tesla finally realize that building cars is not the same as developing software. Good for them. No car company not even Tesla, can survive without a good supplier relationship. As for the negative comments about Mr. Donoughe, he is a very respected engineer. The fact he worked at Chrysler does not mean he can't get the job done. How many people have worked at poorly run companies and left becuase of that? I certainly have.
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Joseph 10:41PM (7/08/2008)
This is really good news. This way, there will be less stupid mistakes. With a Chrysler VP by their side, I imagine they'll be able to streamline their manufacturing and supplier issues. It seems like Tesla has yet to pin those two things down for their Roadster.
I hope this doesn't mean that Tesla plans to offer Chrysler-like vehicles. No offense to Mike Donoughe, who I think would be a great VP, but Chrysler doesn't exactly have a reputation for being a stellar brand.
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