Photo shows the Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles at its gigafactory in Shanghai, east China. Photo: Xinhua

Tesla has moved to recall more than 120,000 made-in-China and imported Model 3s in Chinese market starting from Thursday over safety risks. Recent recalls by Tesla led some netizens and auto experts to doubt the brand's credibility, while others said recalls are normal, which won't have any major impact on the firm's operations in China. 

According to a statement by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), Tesla's subsidiaries in Beijing and Shanghai have recalled a total of 127,785 Model 3s, of which 93,578 were made in China, while the rest were imported. The cars were manufactured between January 11, 2019 and January 25 this year. 

The semiconductor components of the inverters on those cars' rear motors caused some minor production variations, which might lead to faults on the rear inverters and cause accidents, such as failure to start from a parking state, or loss of driving power when the cars are in use. In extreme cases, the faults might increase the risk of collisions, the statement said. 

Tesla decided to upgrade the motor control software for the recalled cars, the SAMR noted, adding that Tesla's recall is being conducted following an SAMR defect investigation. 

Tesla hadn't commented as of press time. 

The US electric car company has carried out several rounds of recalls in recent months. In February, it announced plans to recall about 26,000 made-in-China Model 3s and Model Ys over safety risks. 

The company's recalls have triggered mixed opinions among experts and netizens. Some netizens questioned if the company is still trustworthy, since it has revealed so many problems involving multiple automobile parts. 

However, Wu Shuocheng, a veteran automobile expert, told the Global Times that the recall is unlikely to exert too much a negative impact on Tesla sales in China, as Chinese customers are increasingly accustomed to automobile recalls. 

Wu also stressed that the 127,785 recalls are a normal number judging by international standards. 

According to the expert, he is optimistic about Tesla's business performance in China this year, as China's overall electric car sales keep surging, while Tesla's German plant has started production, which means its Shanghai plant's deliveries to local customers might continue to rise as it does not have to assume too much responsibility for exports.

Wu said that Tesla's Model Y started deliveries last year, and it is likely to see a relatively big surge in orders this year. 

Tesla's deliveries exceeded 50,000 both in January and February in China, the company said.

Global Times