Nevertheless, Musk’s personal firm has run into bother on the planet’s second-largest financial system: In January, Tesla recalled greater than 1.6 million electrical autos in China to repair their steering software program.
His arrival in China coincides with a cut-throat value struggle between companies determined to get forward within the fiercely aggressive EV market.
China’s native automotive big BYD – “Construct Your Desires” – beat out Tesla in final yr’s fourth quarter to change into the world’s prime vendor of EVs.
Tesla reclaimed that title within the first quarter of this yr, however BYD stays firmly on prime in its dwelling market.
His go to additionally comes as Beijing hosts a large auto present, which held press occasions from Thursday and opened to the general public over the weekend.
“TESLA’S LAST HOPE”
Feedback below posts about Musk’s arrival on the social media web site Weibo had been stuffed with hypothesis that the celeb tycoon would attend Auto China whereas in Beijing.
One person instructed Musk’s go to was motivated by a want to check drive an SU7, the primary automotive mannequin launched earlier this yr by Chinese language shopper tech big Xiaomi.
Xiaomi’s entrance into the aggressive EV sector seems to be off to a constructive begin, with CEO Lei Jun saying this month that pre-orders had outpaced expectations by three to 5 occasions.
Different commenters responded to studies that Musk’s journey was meant to provide him a chance to speak with Chinese language officers about the opportunity of bringing Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) know-how to the native market.
“FSD is Tesla’s final hope for saving its home gross sales,” one Weibo person stated.
Musk’s pursuits in China have lengthy raised eyebrows in Washington, with President Joe Biden saying in November 2022 that his hyperlinks to international nations had been “worthy” of scrutiny.
The tycoon has additionally prompted controversy by suggesting the self-ruled island of Taiwan ought to change into a part of China – a stance that was welcomed by Chinese language officers however deeply angered Taipei.
