Tesla 'recalls' vehicles in China for online software update

[June 26, 2021]    BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese regulators said on Saturday Tesla Inc would 'recall' nearly 300,000 China-made and imported Model 3 and Model Y cars for an online software update related to assisted driving, with owners not required to return their vehicles.

A China-made Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle is seen ahead of the Guangzhou auto show in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, November 21, 2019. REUTERS/Yilei Sun

The State Administration for Market Regulation said on its website that the move is linked to an assisted driving function in the electric cars, which can currently be activated by drivers accidentally, causing sudden acceleration.

The remote online software 'recall' - a first for Tesla cars built in China - covers 249,855 China-made Model 3 and Model Y cars, and 35,665 imported Model 3 sedans.

Tesla, now making Model 3 sedans and Model Y sport-utility vehicles in Shanghai, sold 33,463 China-made electric cars in May, according to industry data.

(Reporting by Yilei Sun and Tony Munroe; Editing by William Mallard and Kenneth Maxwell)

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