Tesla experience center in Shanghai, China Photo: VCG

US electric carmaker Tesla told the Global Times that reports about its Shanghai plant suspension “are inaccurate”, responding to an article from Reuters which claimed Tesla is suspending production at its Shanghai plant from Saturday.

“Media report about Tesla’s suspending production at its Shanghai plant is not accurate,” Tesla told Global Times in a statement on Sunday.

According to the Reuters report, the US automaker cancelled the morning shift and told all workers at its most productive manufacturing hub that they could “start their break”, citing an internal notice and two people with knowledge of the matter.

“The plant is carrying out an annual maintenance work which starts this week. The workers who have been working hard for a year could enjoy their break during this period,” Tesla said.

Tesla said that the charging pile and other workshops have not stopped production during the period.

Wrapping up the performance in 2022, Tesla said that the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai maintained efficient production.

The company has deployed 10,000 supercharging piles in Chinese mainland by Monday, reflecting the expansion of the Chinese market.

The latest development marks that Tesla has become one of the few enterprises that cross the threshold of "10,000 level" super charging piles in Chinese new-energy vehicle market, and demonstrates the company’s commitment to boost China's new infrastructure development, Tesla said in a statement to the Global Times on Monday.

Tesla's Shanghai factory is an important manufacturing base for the Chinese market and the brand’s exports.

Tesla's sales in China rose about 60 percent in the first three quarters of this year, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Tesla sells about 60 per cent of the cars it makes in China, with the rest exported to overseas markets such as Australia, Europe, Japan and Singapore.

Global Times