For all you fans and followers of Tesla out there, this news may not sound good to you.
Tesla, considered the world’s leading and pioneering company that manufactures ever-trendy electric vehicles, will not be presenting at the much-awaited Auto Shanghai 2023 event, a gathering of the top automobile brands, Reuters reported today, citing plans published by the organizers.
Tesla and Auto Shanghai did not release a statement on this news as of press time.
The much-awaited Auto Shanghai 2023
Auto Shanghai is a biennial international car show alternating with the Beijing Auto Show as China’s yearly international automotive exhibition. The event is touted as one of the industry’s most important international motor shows.
During its previous edition in 2021, it welcomed over 800,000 visitors who witnessed the unveiling of new car models and more. There was no car show held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shanghai is hosting the event again, and this year’s 20th edition will take place between April 18th and 27th at the China Expo Convention and Exhibition Complex in the global financial hub.
Brands from BYD to Volkswagen are expected to present their latest models and technologies during the event.
For instance, Lexus has already teased its all-new 2024 Lexus LM Premium Minivan, which the luxury car company will unveil at Auto Shanghai 2023. Toyota’s premium car brand refers to this as a “new luxury proposition.”
Moreover, Chinese car manufacturer BYD is also set to unveil its Dynasty B-Class Electric SUV at the auto show. This is an entirely new model in the company’s catalog.
European car brands will also be part of this year’s car show. Particularly, there is the British automotive marque MINI presenting a wide range of its products at Auto Shanghai 2023, such as its all-electric MINI Cooper SE Convertible.
Tesla during the past editions of the show
Nevertheless, Tesla, which runs a large electric vehicle factory in Shanghai, has made an appearance in the show during the past years. However, things did not turn out perfectly well.
In the show’s 2021 edition, Tesla’s stage made infamous headlines when an unhappy customer climbed on top of Tesla as a protest over how the company handled her complaints concerning malfunctioning brakes.
This has given birth to criticisms of Tesla across Chinese media. The company eventually issued an apology.
Analysts say that though Tesla offers four models in China, it has been much slower than its local rivals in launching new ones.
But, Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk is reportedly visiting China this month to meet with the country’s premier, Li Qiang.
