A brand new scathing report about Tesla simply got here out in China. It describes how the automaker is turning into trigger-happy, suing its personal prospects and the media whereas auto journalists are being advised to not be destructive in regards to the American automaker.
To this present day, Tesla is the one international automaker with a wholly-owned automobile manufacturing facility in China, though Toyota is anticipated to observe in just a few years.
Elon Musk made the deal occur with Chinese language Communist Celebration (CCP) officers again in 2018. Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai grew to become the corporate’s greatest manufacturing hub and its greatest income and revenue.
Tesla would by no means be the place it’s immediately with out Gigafactory Shanghai and the Chinese language market.
Now, we be taught that Tesla is prepared to go to nice lengths to guard that.
The Related Press (AP) has simply launched a captivating in-depth report about Tesla’s actions in China relating to prospects and the media.
The report facilities round a brand new perspective on the extremely publicized battle between Tesla and certainly one of its Chinese language prospects who claimed a brake defect, nevertheless it additionally goes deeper by highlighting a shit in Tesla’s method to criticism in China.
AP discovered that Tesla sued “at the least six automobile homeowners in China who had sudden automobile malfunctions, high quality complaints or accidents they claimed have been brought on by mechanical failures.”
Tesla additionally sued “at the least six bloggers and two Chinese language media retailers that wrote critically in regards to the firm.”
That is extremely uncommon habits for an automaker.
The report additionally highlights the shut relationship between Tesla and CCP officers, particularly Li Qiang, the previous social gathering boss of Shanghai who’s now China’s premier. He was concerned within the Gigafactory Shanghai deal.
It’s not information that Tesla benefited from preferential remedy in China, however the report goes fairly a bit additional.
AP alleges that native media are instructed to not be destructive on Tesla:
Tesla has profited from the largesse of the Chinese language state, successful unprecedented regulatory advantages, below-market fee loans and enormous tax breaks. With just a few pointed exceptions, Tesla has loved largely ingratiating protection within the Chinese language press, and journalists advised AP they’ve been instructed to keep away from destructive protection of the automaker.
A reporter advised AP:
“We have been advised by our editor that we should always not write negatively about Tesla as a result of it’s a key firm that was launched and guarded by the Shanghai authorities.”
The report additionally explains how Tesla wins about 90% of the court docket instances filed towards the automaker by prospects who declare a defect.
Many purchasers complained of Tesla’s lack of communication, resulting in submitting lawsuits.
In the event that they file lawsuits, they lose, and in the event that they complain publicly, they’re those getting sued by Tesla and compelled to pay the corporate and make a public apology.
Electrek’s Take
That’s fairly a report. It gave a brand new perspective on Ms. Zhang’s case. Her case made it to Western media in 2021-2022, however by no means with the extent of element on this report.
The info are she acquired into an accident. She claimed it was resulting from a brake failure. Tesla claimed it was resulting from a driver mistake.
She felt compelled to protest Tesla over what she noticed as a severe security concern. She was fairly persistent with it. Tesla sued her and gained as a result of she had no approach to show {that a} brake defect had prompted the accident. She was compelled to pay Tesla and make a public apology.
However we additionally realized that Tesla claimed that different entities have been backing her regardless of no proof of that by any means.
I believe there’s room for reflection on Tesla’s half right here. Is that this what it needs to be: an organization that sues its prospects and media over criticism?
Like some prospects mentioned within the report, Tesla may have averted a lot that by merely having higher communications with prospects.
FTC: We use earnings incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. Extra.
