Changan Automobile has reshuffled its senior management, promoting Zhao Fei from president to chairman and Ye Pei from executive vice president to president, according to Sina Auto. The changes were disclosed in a company announcement on October 16, 2026, and take effect immediately.
The announcement confirmed that Zhu Huarong will continue as Party Secretary and chairman of China Changan Automobile Group, the parent company, where he will focus on overall planning and long-term development of the group's automotive businesses. He will no longer hold any position at the listed company or its subsidiaries.
Zhao Fei, the new chairman, had been president of Changan Automobile. Ye Pei, the new president, had been the company's executive vice president. Together they now take day-to-day leadership of the listed vehicle-making arm.
Group strategy, company execution
The reshuffle separates group-level leadership from operational management. Changan said the adjustment is designed to strengthen the parent group's role in "setting strategy, allocating resources, promoting synergy, controlling risk and strengthening incentives."
According to the announcement, the move is intended to further optimise market-oriented mechanisms and sharpen the focus on global operations, supporting the high-quality development of the listed company. For a state-owned automaker like Changan, clarifying the boundary between the parent group and the listed company has become an increasingly important governance issue as competition intensifies.
Leadership change amid EV competition
Changan is one of China's largest carmakers, producing internal-combustion vehicles, new-energy vehicles and a growing line-up of electric models under its own and associated brands. The company has been pushing into overseas markets and investing in electric and intelligent vehicle technologies, areas where clear leadership and fast decision-making are seen as critical.
The executive changes do not alter product plans, sales targets or financial guidance, but they signal a shift in how Changan intends to run its business. Zhu Huarong, who has been closely associated with the company's recent development, will now operate above the listed company, while Zhao Fei and Ye Pei will be responsible for execution on the ground.
Such reshuffles are common across China's auto industry as companies restructure to cope with the rapid transition to electric vehicles and a crowded domestic market. For Changan, the new lineup is meant to keep strategic direction at group level while giving operating management a clear mandate to execute.
