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Tesla China has reportedly clarified that it currently has no immediate plans to release the Cybertruck in the country. The update was published by Chinese media Jiemian newswhich claimed that the Tesla China team is denying that the Cybertruck will be brought to the county anytime soon.
Cybertruck was introduced in November 2019 shipments have begun in the US November 30, 2023 So far, the Cybertruck has only been shipped to the US, Canada, and Mexico. A look at the official Tesla China website shows that only the Model Y, Model 3, Model S, Model X and Powerwall can be ordered in China. The all-electric pickup is not listed as available for order on the official Tesla China website.
Denial of the potential launch of the Cybertruck in the country by Tesla China is not at all surprising. Elon Musk himself has previously commented on the challenges of bringing the Cybertruck to China, saying on X that “Getting the Cybertruck road legal in China would be very difficult, but we could send some prototypes to demonstrate.”
It would be very difficult to make the Cybertruck road legal in China, but we could send some prototypes to demonstrate
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 14, 2024
Musk did not elaborate on the specific legal hurdles the car might face in the country, though it’s worth noting that pickup trucks face significant regulatory restrictions in China. This was probably one of the reasons Tesla called the Cybertruck a “crossover touring car.” brought the vehicle on a tour around China.
As noted in the message from Notice of CNEVthe speed limit for pickup trucks on Chinese highways is limited to 100 kilometers per hour, while cars can legally travel up to 120 kilometers per hour. In addition, pickups have a mandatory break-in requirement after 15 years of use. Pickup trucks also face city access restrictions in many cities, although these have been somewhat relaxed in recent years.
These restrictions have resulted in the Chinese pickup truck market being quite small. From January to October this year, sales of pickup trucks in China totaled 427,000 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). By comparison, sales of passenger cars, which include sedans, SUVs and MPVs, totaled 17.84 million units during the same period.
Tesla has been quite successful in China. The Model Y crossover has been particularly popular in the country, with 373,852 units delivered to China between January and October, accounting for 74.67% of Tesla’s total shipments. Overall, Tesla delivered 500,685 vehicles to China in the same time period, an increase of 8.29% year-on-year, according to data compiled by Notice of CNEV.
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