Rabat – Tesla, one of the world’s biggest and most storied electric car manufacturers, has announced its decision to recall 1.6 million electric vehicles in China for a software update that poses “safety risks.”
This recall, which comes after the company recalled two million vehicles in the US in December of last year over a potential issue with its autopilot system, is intended to address software flaws in driving assistance systems and vehicle door lock systems, the Chinese Market Regulatory Authority statement released on Friday.
This measure applies to two batches of cars produced between 2014 and 2023, totaling 1.6 million S-cars models. This manufacturing defect “increases the risk of collision with the vehicle and poses a safety issue,” according to the Chinese regulatory authority’s estimates.
Given that the company has the largest plant outside of the United States, located in Shanghai, China is the brand’s most significant market. At its Chinese facility, Tesla manufactured over 900,000 cars in 2023, according to the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
In China, where it competes with several local businesses offering their ideas in the electric car space, Tesla confronts intense rivalry. However, BYD is by far Tesla’s most threatening rival in this field.
In the last quarter of 2023, BYD dethroned Tesla but the American manufacturer managed to maintain its leading position in terms of sales during the entire year.
Last year, BYD became the first manufacturer in the world to cross the symbolic threshold of selling 5 million vehicles, including sales of both hybrid and electric vehicles.
According to the Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the Chinese giant was still in the lead in terms of sales of electric vehicles in China last November, with more than 300,000 cars sold, far ahead of Tesla (more than 80,000 cars).
Figures concerning the Chinese market for the month of December as well as for the entire 2023 are yet to be released in the coming days.
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