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Until now, Tesla was not considered an electric car in China for purposes of getting a license plate outside of the auction. They used this to encourage Shangha

Until now, Tesla was not considered an electric car in China for purposes of getting a license plate outside of the auction. They used this to encourage Shanghai consumers to buy domestic EVs. The law's intent at least appeared to encourage local jobs. Since Tesla found a reasonable way around this, sales should grow remarkably. Tesla is planning local production for that market, which probably explains the change in policy. Also, most people who have cars in these markets prefer to be driven, rather than driving themselves. Vehicles for the Chinese market tend to emphasize back seat comfort and features. Tesla will likely try to make their features more back seat compatible.

seanmcdirmid 12y ago
> Also, most people who have cars in these markets prefer to be driven, rather than driving themselves. Vehicles for the Chinese market tend to emphasize back seat comfort and features. Tesla will likely try to make their features more back seat compatible. This is definitely not true in Shanghai, where most people drive their Mercedes, BMWs, and Audi's by themselves (besides, hiring a driver full time in SH is at least 8K RMB/month now, the days of drivers willing to work for 1K a month are over). If Tesla is wise, they'll go after the faster "drive yourself" market than the high-official "be driven" market. In secondary markets, drivers are more popular, but even then the market of self-driven cars is growing much faster.