A Tesla store in Beijing Photo: IC

Tesla China responded to a controversy over downgraded hardware on Tuesday, saying that it was caused by a supply chain disruption during work resumption, and it promised a free upgrade.

Recently, some consumers reported their newly delivered China-made Model 3s were installed with HW 2.5 instead of the HW 3.0 listed on the product manual.

In response to customer complaints, the company issued a statement on its Weibo account on Tuesday, admitting that some of its China-made Model 3s were installed with HW 2.5 due to a supply chain disruption during work resumption.

It apologized to users for the trouble caused and promised to give car owners free upgrades to HW3.0 with the restoration of its production capacity and supply chain.

It also stated that the original intention was to ensure a timely delivery on the premise of meeting consumer safety and user needs.

Its Shanghai factory resumed work and production on February 10.