Tesla branded as ‘arrogant’ in China as pressure mounts on the electric car maker

TruckElectric

Well-known member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
Jun 16, 2020
Threads
769
Messages
2,482
Reaction score
3,273
Location
Texas
Vehicles
Dodge Ram diesel
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
Tesla branded as ‘arrogant’ in China as pressure mounts on the electric car maker
PUBLISHED THU, APR 22 202110:36 PM EDTUPDATED 5 HOURS AGO

Arjun Kharpal@ARJUNKHARPAL

Evelyn Cheng@CHENGEVELYN

KEY POINTS
  • A woman who claimed to be a Tesla customer protested an alleged brake failure in her car at the company’s booth at the Shanghai auto show.
  • Tesla claimed the woman had a collision due to a speeding incident and has been negotiating with her since February.
  • Chinese state media branded the company’s response as “arrogant” and regulators are increasing their scrutiny of the company.
GUANGZHOU, China — Tesla faces mounting pressure in China as state media and regulators criticize the electric car maker following a woman’s protest at a major auto show this week.
Tesla could be facing one of its worst public relations crises in China, a market investors see as critical for its growth.

On Monday, a woman who claimed to be a Tesla customer stood atop one of the company’s cars at the Shanghai auto show with a T-shirt that read “brakes don’t work.” She was protesting an alleged brake failure in her car — an issue other Chinese social media users claiming to be Tesla drivers have complained about in the last several months. A video of the incident went viral on Chinese social networks and was picked up by state media.




On Tuesday, Shanghai police identified the protester by her surname Zhang and said she was sentenced to five days detention for disturbing public order.

Tesla alleged the woman was involved in a collision in February due to “speeding violations” and that in their two months of negotiations, she would not allow a third-party inspection but insisted on a refund for the car.

Criticism for being ‘arrogant’
Tesla’s vice president for China, Tao Lin, claimed in an interview Monday with Chinese financial news publication Caijing that the woman hoped for a high level of compensation, and the company doesn’t have any reason to give it to her.

In a post on Twitter-like service Weibo, Tesla said it would not compromise with “unreasonable demands.”
State media and a government agencies were quick to reprimand Tesla. State-run news outlets published a string of editorials, while the Chinese government’s central disciplinary commission issued a warning statement.
The arrogant and overbearing stance the company exhibited in front of the public is repugnant and unacceptable, which could inflict serious damage on its reputation and customer base in the Chinese market.
State-backed Chinese publication Global Times, on Tesla
One state media article titled “Three lessons Tesla ought to learn” advised the U.S.-based electric auto maker to respect the Chinese consumer market, according to a CNBC translation of the Chinese-language text.
“The arrogant and overbearing stance the company exhibited in front of the public is repugnant and unacceptable, which could inflict serious damage on its reputation and customer base in the Chinese market,” the state-backed tabloid Global Times said in a separate opinion piece published Wednesday.
Tesla apologized in a statement for not solving the car owner’s problems in a timely manner.

In Weibo posts on Monday and Tuesday, Tesla said it’s willing to cooperate with authorities. The company said it will carry out “self-examination and self-correction” to “rectify” problems with its customer service process.
On Thursday, Tesla said it handed over raw vehicle data to Zhang from 30 minutes before the crash in question took place. The company has also been in communication with two market regulators.

Tesla’s rise in China
Tesla has been a poster child for Beijing’s efforts to demonstrate that China is letting more foreign businesses into its relatively closed market.

Tesla has stepped up its focus on China in the last two years. With the support of the government, Tesla broke ground on a major Shanghai factory in 2019 and last year began delivering Model 3 vehicles made at that site to customers in China.
Letting the market leader in was very much in China’s interest, but letting the market leader dominate the market is not in China’s interest.
Bill Russo
FOUNDER AND CEO OF AUTOMOBILITY LIMITED
Tesla’s China sales more than doubled in 2020, and the Model 3 was the best-selling electric car in the country.
CEO Elon Musk even met with Premier Li Keqiang in 2019. But with success comes scrutiny, especially as China’s homegrown companies look for a larger slice of the growing electric vehicle market.
China’s favorable policies toward electric cars have spurred the creation of a number of start-ups hoping to compete with Tesla such as Nio and Xpeng Motors, although their sales are still far behind Tesla’s.

“Letting the market leader in was very much in China’s interest, but letting the market leader dominate the market is not in China’s interest,” said Bill Russo, founder and CEO of consulting and investment firm Automobility Limited.

Russo noted that companies including Volkswagen and Daimler’s Mercedes unit have gone through similar periods of scrutiny in the past.

Rising scrutiny of Tesla
Negative press about Tesla in China has increased in the last several months. Earlier this year, a Tesla Model 3 reportedly exploded in a Shanghai parking garage, while a state media article said there were at least 10 reports in 2020 of Tesla drivers losing control of their cars in the country.

China has also reportedly restricted the use of Tesla cars among state and military personnel over concerns that the vehicle’s sensors could record images of their surrounding locations. Musk said his company would be shut down if its cars could be used to spy.

Meanwhile, China’s market regulator, the State Administration for Market Regulation, met with Tesla’s local subsidiaries in February over increased consumer reports of vehicle problems. On Wednesday, the regulator issued a statement saying it places high importance on the Shanghai auto show incident. The authority said it has instructed local regulators to protect consumer interests.

Musk has looked to fend off the scrutiny. In March, he gave an interview to state broadcaster CCTV saying that the future of China is “going to be great” and that the country will be Tesla’s “biggest market.”
— Evelyn Cheng was in Beijing; CNBC’s Yin Hon contributed to this report.


SOURCE: CNBC
Sponsored

 

Frankenblob

Well-known member
First Name
Frank, USA is the BEST. Communism SUX
Joined
Feb 13, 2020
Threads
34
Messages
252
Reaction score
224
Location
Home
Vehicles
M38A-1, Trans-am
Country flag
The question is what was the "speed"?

If a sign says "50km max" then 50.1 km or more IS speeding.

Plus, being handed data "30 mins before the crash" doesn't do anything, ya want the data seconds before and AT the time of the crash. I knew someone who would "apply the brakes to see how the road was" then based their driving on THAT! Which is peculiar because that stretch of road is irrelevant to new ground gained!

Let's see what happens.
 

akcoyote

Well-known member
First Name
Jim
Joined
Apr 10, 2021
Threads
3
Messages
72
Reaction score
133
Location
central Iowa
Vehicles
2018 Model S; Dual motor CT w/FSD reservation
Occupation
retired
Country flag
The question is what was the "speed"?

If a sign says "50km max" then 50.1 km or more IS speeding.

Plus, being handed data "30 mins before the crash" doesn't do anything, ya want the data seconds before and AT the time of the crash. I knew someone who would "apply the brakes to see how the road was" then based their driving on THAT! Which is peculiar because that stretch of road is irrelevant to new ground gained!

Let's see what happens.
You apparently missed the fact the data was from 30 minutes before the crash up to and including the crash event.
The following image from Electrek.co
The third column is speed in km/h; 5th column is brake pressure in bar.
Tesla Cybertruck Tesla branded as ‘arrogant’ in China as pressure mounts on the electric car maker 1619198300550

As can be seen in the data, the brakes were NOT applied until about 4 seconds before the crash.
The last highlighted speed (48.5 or 30mph) is the speed at impact.
 
Last edited:

duck

Well-known member
First Name
Dave
Joined
Jan 5, 2021
Threads
0
Messages
73
Reaction score
182
Location
Florida
Vehicles
GMC Sierra
Country flag
The question is what was the "speed"?

If a sign says "50km max" then 50.1 km or more IS speeding.

Plus, being handed data "30 mins before the crash" doesn't do anything, ya want the data seconds before and AT the time of the crash. I knew someone who would "apply the brakes to see how the road was" then based their driving on THAT! Which is peculiar because that stretch of road is irrelevant to new ground gained!

Let's see what happens.
I'm sure they meant that they gave her data for the entire 30 minute time period leading up to the crash.
 


android04

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2020
Threads
2
Messages
310
Reaction score
608
Location
Crete, NE
Vehicles
2018 Tesla Model 3 LR RWD, Tesla Cybertruck Tri-motor (reserved)
Country flag
I was wondering how her father died in such a low-speed accident, honestly. The car didn't look that damaged.

-Crissa
I don't think anybody died in that specific accident. Do you have a link where I can read more details about the accident? On Reddit someone from China was asking owners if they had ever experience any brake failures and nobody had or had even read about any. But apparently the driver of the car was driving on a wet surface and when trying to stop was pumping the brakes. They failed to stop the car and crashed. Apparently they had a Tesla employee revisit the crash scene later with his own Tesla and re-enact the events (including pumping the brakes) and he also crashed. They had the EDR info and some other linked info. I would revisit the Reddit thread, but it looks like it got deleted because I can't find it. But it seems to me like possibly they were driving too fast or braked too late and were not used to anti-lock brakes. So if the ABS did not allow full braking due to slick conditions, an inexperienced person might think the brakes aren't working and would pump them. That would reduce the effectiveness and increase stopping distance with a terrible end result.

Edit: maybe that thread way on one of my Facebook groups. I'll have to look for it.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
TruckElectric

TruckElectric

Well-known member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
Jun 16, 2020
Threads
769
Messages
2,482
Reaction score
3,273
Location
Texas
Vehicles
Dodge Ram diesel
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
Teslas reportedly being stopped from driving on the highway by police in Chinese megacity [Update]

Tesla owners are reporting being stopped from driving on the highway by the police over safety concerns in Guangzhou, China.

Right now, there’s a lot of discussion about Tesla and safety in the US following the very publicized fatal crash involving a Tesla Model S in Texas.

But the same buzz is also happening in China after a Tesla owner protested about an accident at the automaker’s booth at the Shanghai Motor Show.

At the same time, in Guangzhou, a report of a fatal accident involving a Tesla vehicle made the news (via Global News):

The traffic accident occurred in the north of Dongjiang Avenue, Zengcheng District, Guangzhou on April 13, according to a statement released by Zengcheng public security bureau on Wednesday. A car caught fire after colliding with the cement barrier on the right side of the road and another car, leading to one passenger dead, said the statement.
Now today, several Tesla owners are posting on social media that they are being stopped by the authorities from driving on the highway with their vehicles in the city:





The police appear to be blocking every Tesla vehicle from driving on the highway over safety concerns following the accident.

On its official Weibo account, Tesla made a statement that appears to be related to the situation:

This afternoon, we have proactively contacted the Zhengzhou Municipal Market Supervision Administration and reported the relevant situation. In order to protect the rights and interests of consumers, we are willing to cooperate fully and provide the raw data of the vehicle half an hour before the incident to the third-party appraisal agency or the technology designated by the government. The regulatory authority or the consumer himself.
The situation is still developing, and we will update if we get more information.

Update: the police denied targeting only Tesla vehicles and said that the effort was more about traffic, but several Tesla owners still claim that they were specifically targeting Tesla owners with long lines of Tesla vehicles spotted at the traffic stops while other vehicles were let through.

Electrek’s Take

Let me get this straight. The police are preventing everyone who drives a vehicle from a specific brand to go on the highway because a vehicle from that brand was involved in an accident in the city?

That’s crazy.

Hopefully, it gets resolved quickly, because it seems like an overreaction for now, especially since we don’t have any indication about the vehicle being at fault in this particular accident.


If you have more information about the situation, don’t hesitate to reach out.



SOURCE: ELECTREK
 

Crissa

Well-known member
First Name
Crissa
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Threads
126
Messages
16,227
Reaction score
27,088
Location
Santa Cruz
Vehicles
2014 Zero S, 2013 Mazda 3
Country flag
This is what you get when functionaries don't have transparency.

:/

Not like stuff like this hasn't happened in the US.

-Crissa
 

Cyberman

Well-known member
First Name
Adam
Joined
Apr 7, 2020
Threads
35
Messages
2,280
Reaction score
3,652
Location
San Diego
Vehicles
F150,F550, Escape
Occupation
Cybercontractor
Country flag
Tesla branded as ‘arrogant’ in China as pressure mounts on the electric car maker
PUBLISHED THU, APR 22 202110:36 PM EDTUPDATED 5 HOURS AGO

Arjun Kharpal@ARJUNKHARPAL

Evelyn Cheng@CHENGEVELYN

KEY POINTS
  • A woman who claimed to be a Tesla customer protested an alleged brake failure in her car at the company’s booth at the Shanghai auto show.
  • Tesla claimed the woman had a collision due to a speeding incident and has been negotiating with her since February.
  • Chinese state media branded the company’s response as “arrogant” and regulators are increasing their scrutiny of the company.
GUANGZHOU, China — Tesla faces mounting pressure in China as state media and regulators criticize the electric car maker following a woman’s protest at a major auto show this week.
Tesla could be facing one of its worst public relations crises in China, a market investors see as critical for its growth.

On Monday, a woman who claimed to be a Tesla customer stood atop one of the company’s cars at the Shanghai auto show with a T-shirt that read “brakes don’t work.” She was protesting an alleged brake failure in her car — an issue other Chinese social media users claiming to be Tesla drivers have complained about in the last several months. A video of the incident went viral on Chinese social networks and was picked up by state media.




On Tuesday, Shanghai police identified the protester by her surname Zhang and said she was sentenced to five days detention for disturbing public order.

Tesla alleged the woman was involved in a collision in February due to “speeding violations” and that in their two months of negotiations, she would not allow a third-party inspection but insisted on a refund for the car.

Criticism for being ‘arrogant’
Tesla’s vice president for China, Tao Lin, claimed in an interview Monday with Chinese financial news publication Caijing that the woman hoped for a high level of compensation, and the company doesn’t have any reason to give it to her.

In a post on Twitter-like service Weibo, Tesla said it would not compromise with “unreasonable demands.”
State media and a government agencies were quick to reprimand Tesla. State-run news outlets published a string of editorials, while the Chinese government’s central disciplinary commission issued a warning statement.

One state media article titled “Three lessons Tesla ought to learn” advised the U.S.-based electric auto maker to respect the Chinese consumer market, according to a CNBC translation of the Chinese-language text.
“The arrogant and overbearing stance the company exhibited in front of the public is repugnant and unacceptable, which could inflict serious damage on its reputation and customer base in the Chinese market,” the state-backed tabloid Global Times said in a separate opinion piece published Wednesday.
Tesla apologized in a statement for not solving the car owner’s problems in a timely manner.

In Weibo posts on Monday and Tuesday, Tesla said it’s willing to cooperate with authorities. The company said it will carry out “self-examination and self-correction” to “rectify” problems with its customer service process.
On Thursday, Tesla said it handed over raw vehicle data to Zhang from 30 minutes before the crash in question took place. The company has also been in communication with two market regulators.

Tesla’s rise in China
Tesla has been a poster child for Beijing’s efforts to demonstrate that China is letting more foreign businesses into its relatively closed market.

Tesla has stepped up its focus on China in the last two years. With the support of the government, Tesla broke ground on a major Shanghai factory in 2019 and last year began delivering Model 3 vehicles made at that site to customers in China.

Tesla’s China sales more than doubled in 2020, and the Model 3 was the best-selling electric car in the country.
CEO Elon Musk even met with Premier Li Keqiang in 2019. But with success comes scrutiny, especially as China’s homegrown companies look for a larger slice of the growing electric vehicle market.
China’s favorable policies toward electric cars have spurred the creation of a number of start-ups hoping to compete with Tesla such as Nio and Xpeng Motors, although their sales are still far behind Tesla’s.

“Letting the market leader in was very much in China’s interest, but letting the market leader dominate the market is not in China’s interest,” said Bill Russo, founder and CEO of consulting and investment firm Automobility Limited.

Russo noted that companies including Volkswagen and Daimler’s Mercedes unit have gone through similar periods of scrutiny in the past.

Rising scrutiny of Tesla
Negative press about Tesla in China has increased in the last several months. Earlier this year, a Tesla Model 3 reportedly exploded in a Shanghai parking garage, while a state media article said there were at least 10 reports in 2020 of Tesla drivers losing control of their cars in the country.

China has also reportedly restricted the use of Tesla cars among state and military personnel over concerns that the vehicle’s sensors could record images of their surrounding locations. Musk said his company would be shut down if its cars could be used to spy.

Meanwhile, China’s market regulator, the State Administration for Market Regulation, met with Tesla’s local subsidiaries in February over increased consumer reports of vehicle problems. On Wednesday, the regulator issued a statement saying it places high importance on the Shanghai auto show incident. The authority said it has instructed local regulators to protect consumer interests.

Musk has looked to fend off the scrutiny. In March, he gave an interview to state broadcaster CCTV saying that the future of China is “going to be great” and that the country will be Tesla’s “biggest market.”
— Evelyn Cheng was in Beijing; CNBC’s Yin Hon contributed to this report.


SOURCE: CNBC
"Arrogant" is part of China's favorite go-to attack verbage for foreign entities.
Sponsored

 
 




Top