The opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a revolutionary vehicle manufacturing venture attracted Mike Donoughe, a veteran auto industry executive, to Tesla Motors. Donoughe has joined the company, which manufactures electric cars, as executive vice president, Vehicle Engineering and Manufacturing. In this role, he will be responsible for manufacturing, supply chain, quality and operations for the company. In addition, Donoughe will oversee both the Roadster Program and the "Model S" program, a 4 door, 5 passenger electric sports sedan. Donoughe was previously vice president of "Project D" at Chrysler, where he led the redesign of their global mid-size vehicle portfolio. He spent 24 years at Chrysler, where he led various product creation efforts, including the Stow N Go minivans, Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Ram programs. Donoughe also spent three 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," says 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." In commenting on his desire to join Tesla, Donoughe says: "I joined the Tesla team because I am enthusiastic about Tesla's objective to integrate their disruptive EV technology into mainstream automobiles. Tesla is creating vehicles that appeal to customers looking for environmentally sound and energy efficient solutions without compromising on functionality and performance. I look forward to contributing to these efforts as a part of the Tesla team," he adds. For more information about Tesla Motors, visit the company's Web site. |
