A car in a Tesla showroom in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province on April 18. Photo: AFP

Tesla China said Friday that it has never entrusted other platforms or merchants to conduct sales, and it reserves the right to pursue legal proceedings about any resales, following online posts saying Tesla sales personnel refused to deliver a Model 3 vehicle to a buyer who bought the car via another platform.

"Tesla's website is the only official purchasing channel for new cars, and Tesla has never commissioned other platforms or merchants to conduct sales activities," Tesla said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Friday.

It is stated in the car purchase agreement signed between Tesla and the customer that in any resale, Tesla has the right to unilaterally terminate the agreement. "We also hope consumers know that participating in any unofficially authorized activities will involve the risk of possible damage to their rights," read the statement.

According to a screenshot of dialogues posted on Chinese twitter-like Weibo on Friday, the buyer, based in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province, said he/she has not violated any policy and paid real money for the car, questioning the reason for refusal. The buyer placed an order for a discounted Tesla Model 3 vehicle on e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, on which Yiauto, a Chinese car dealer group, announced the group buying promotion.

The car dealer claimed in July that they could sell Tesla's China-made Model 3 vehicles at 251,800 yuan ($36,017), which is 19,750 yuan below the price listed on Tesla's official website in China. 

Pinduoduo, a latecomer in China's e-commerce industry, is famous for its substantial discounts.

Tesla quickly denied involvement in the promotion on Pinduoduo after the group buying notice.

Pinduoduo said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Friday that it has confirmed that the consumer signed a subscription agreement with Tesla for the vehicle, and the consumer intends to use it for his/her own use and does not wish to resell it. 

As the subsidy-providing party, Pinduoduo expressed regret about the event and said consumers should protect their rights in accordance with the law.

Global Times