Tesla China has denied recent rumors suggesting that the Cybertruck would start sales in China on January 1, 2025.
Tesla China’s Denial:
A spokesperson from Tesla China clarified to the National Business Daily (NBD) that rumors suggesting that the Cybertruck will start sales in China on January 1, 2025 are false information.The Tesla China spokesperson also highlighted that there are “no such plans” for the Cybertruck to start sales in the country next month.
Rumors and Speculations:
Speculations of the Cybertruck’s alleged entry to the Chinese market were sparked this month.Tesla had filed for an energy consumption measurement for the Cybertruck at China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).The Cybertruck received an automobile energy consumption label from the MIIT on December 11, classifying the Cybertruck as an M1 passenger car with a 618 km range. This filing was revoked over unknown reasons, however.More recently, Tesla’s Chinese website was updated with information about the Cybertruck’s three trims.
China’s pickup truck market:
Pickup trucks in China, including electric ones, face notable market restrictions. Their speed is limited on highways, and they face a mandatory scrapping requirement after 15 years of use.As per the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), only 427,000 units of pickup trucks were sold from January to October 2024.In comparison, passenger car sales, which include sedans, SUVs, and MPVs, have totaled 17.84 million units in the same period.China has shown some interest in the Cybertruck, as evidenced by the attention that the vehicle received when it toured the country earlier this year.
Musk’s Comments:
Tesla CEO Elon Musk had previously commented on the challenges of making the Cybertruck road-legal in China, stating in a post on X that “Getting Cybertruck road legal in China would be very difficult, but we could ship some prototypes over for display.”
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