Tesla recently withdrew 1.62 million units of the car from the US due to problems with the Autopilot safety system. This time, the electric car manufacturing company owned by Elon Musk is taking back more than two million cars from China for the same reason.
As before, the vehicles will be backed up via free over-the-air (OTA) updates. The update will add features that allow drivers to stay focused while using Tesla’s driver assistance systems.
According to China’s State Administration for Market Regulations (SAMR), drivers may abuse Level 2 combined driving assistance functions, increasing the risk of vehicle collisions and creating safety hazards. As in the US, the OTA update will include additional controls and warnings that encourage drivers to continue monitoring the vehicle while Tesla’s Autosteer function is engaged.
Last week, Tesla said it had delivered a record 1.8 million electric cars worldwide. More than half of these (944,779 EVs) were sold in China, making it the company’s largest market. Tesla’s Shanghai plant can produce 1.1 million Model 3 and Model Y vehicles a year for the Chinese market and exports to Europe, Australia and New Zealand.