
Tesla cars included in Chinese government’s purchase catalog for the first time
CNN
For the first time ever, Tesla’s cars have been placed on a local Chinese government’s purchase list, according to state-owned media outlet Paper.cn.
For the first time ever, Tesla cars have been placed on a local Chinese government’s purchase list, according to state-owned media outlet Paper.cn. That means that government agencies and public groups in the province can procure them as service cars, highlighting the cozy relationship China has with Elon Musk’s company. Tesla is the only foreign-owned EV car brand on the purchase catalog published by the government of Jiangsu province in eastern China. The other brands mentioned include Volvo, owned by China’s Geely, and state-owned SAIC, among others. The development has gone viral on Chinese social media, with some users questioning if foreign cars should be considered for use by the government. The Jiangsu government has tried to ease concerns by saying that the Tesla model is “a domestic car, not imported,” according to a report by state-owned National Business Daily on Thursday, citing a government employee. Tesla, which has a massive gigafactory in Shanghai, manufactured some 947,000 cars in China in 2023, and most of them were used locally.

It was almost an extraordinary scene in front of the White House. As Tesla shares have been tanking since the year began, President Donald Trump held remarks outside of the White House with the company’s CEO and Department of Government Efficiency Head Elon Musk – all in front of a line of shiny Tesla vehicles.