Chinese regulators summon Tesla over quality concerns

Chinese regulators called on Tesla to review quality issues in its electric cars following rapid growth in the company's sales locally and as it ramps up production.

A group of Chinese authorities, including the country’s top market regulator, cyberspace watchdog and transportation authority, held talks with Tesla after consumers complained about acceleration irregularities, battery fires, software upgrade failures and other problems with the vehicles, according to a government notice posted late Monday.

Tesla said on microblogging platform Weibo that it “sincerely accepts the government departments’ guidance” and will “strictly comply with Chinese laws.” It will also work to strengthen its “internal operational structure and workflow” under the direction of the regulators in order to protect consumers’ rights.

The news also comes close on the heels of a series of product recalls in the country by Tesla linked to faulty parts or functions.

Just the week before, Tesla recalled 20,428 imported Model S vehicles and 15,698 units of imported Model X.

China was the EV carmaker's second-largest market in 2020, contributing $6.6bn to its topline.