(Yicai Global) July 28 -- Huawei Technologies has removed Su Qing from his position as head of the Chinese tech giant’s autonomous driving division after he made controversial comments about US electric carmaker Tesla.

Su was demoted for “inappropriate remarks” about Tesla at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference on July 8, Huawei said yesterday, adding that his comments had had an adverse impact. Su claimed that Tesla has a very high accident rate, accusing it of killing people. “He will receive training and then be reassigned,” the Shenzhen-based firm said.

Bian Hongli, chief technology officer of Huawei Consumer Business Group has succeeded Su at the firm’s Intelligent Driving Products Department.

Since Richard Yu, chief executive officer of Huawei Consumer Business Group, became CEO of Huawei’s smart vehicle solutions business unit in May, the company has made many personnel changes. “This may be related to the fact that the Consumer Business Group’s automotive business will be integrated with the Automotive Business Unit,” a Huawei insider told Yicai Global.

“Most of the people transferred come from the company’s Consumer Business Group, and they are also Yu’s right-hand men,” the source said. Li Wenguang, who was recently appointed deputy director of the Intelligent Driving Products Department, was vice president of the CBG’s smartphone business, he added.

Huawei is steadily deepening its positioning in the automotive field as a producer of components for smart cars. It has joined hands with carmakers BAIC Motor, Changan Automobile, and GAC Group to create the Huawei Inside business model, and sell cars via its own channels.

Editor: Futura Costaglione