Tesla is recalling more than 80,000 cars in China over software and seatbelt issues, China’s market regulator said. The US electric car giant is recalling a total of 67,698 imported Model S and Model X vehicles manufactured between September 25, 2013 and November 21, 2020. The recall of these models is due to a software issue affecting the management system. of the car battery. Tesla will update the software of these vehicles free of charge.
What effects on the Palo Alto automaker? “Recalls are always expensive and are often magnified in a way that can be reputationally damaging, especially now that the market has become hypercompetitive and Tesla’s portfolio has shrunk,” Automobility CEO Bill Russo told CNBC. based in Shanghai. “This recall mostly impacts imported models (S and X), so it can be managed if you can get it under control.”
China is one of the most important markets for Tesla. The company has a major manufacturing plant in Shanghai and has sold a record number of Chinese-made cars in recent months. But Tesla also faces growing competition in China, as companies like Xpeng, Nio and Li Auto are gearing up to launch new cars for 2023 in a bid to challenge the US electric automaker’s dominance.