Tesla, the international electric car maker facing scrutiny in China over safety and customer service complaints, is now expanding its government relations team and trying to strengthen its interactions with Chinese regulators, multiple people familiar with the matter were quoted as saying on May 3.
Tesla executives have participated in at least four policy discussions in the past few weeks on topics including vehicle data storage, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications technology, vehicle recycling and carbon emissions, among others, compared with relatively few such interactions previously, underscoring that Tesla is taking its setbacks in the Chinese market seriously, the sources said.
Chinese authorities are trying to regulate influential private companies, particularly in the technology sector, and Tesla’s change in strategy is more about engaging in behind-the-scenes interactions with Chinese policymakers, the report said. According to a job posting by Tesla via Weibo in April, the company is hiring several managers to update its policy database and maintain the company’s relationships with government and industry associations to “build a harmonious external environment to support Tesla’s business development in regional markets.”
The Chinese market is said to account for about 30 percent of Tesla’s global sales volume.
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