Tesla's China-made Model Y starts delivery

14:18, January 18, 2021

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  Self-immolation of Ele.me deliveryman sparks wide public concern on industry management

  A food delivery person of Chinese food-delivery and online services provider Ele.me said on Sunday that it will pay medical expenses and investigate relevant parties concerning the January 11 self-immolation of a delivery rider surnamed Liu, who set himself on fire in hopes of getting his alleged ov

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  Tesla hunts for design chief to create cars for China

  Visitors wearing face masks check a China-made Tesla Model Y sport utility vehicle at the electric vehicle makers showroom in Beijing on January 5, 2021. (Photo: Agencies)Tesla Inc is searchingfor a design director in China, part of efforts to open a"full-function" studio in Shanghai or Beijing and designelectric cars tailored to Chinese consumer tastes, according tothree people with knowledge of the matter.The US carmakers human resources managers, as well asseveral headhunters, have been trawling the industry over thepast four months, the sources said.They are looking for "bi-cultural" candidates with 20 ormore years of experience who are familiar with Chinese tastesand can bridge the gaps between China and the United States,they added.Some candidates have been interviewed by Teslas globaldesign chief Franz von Holzhausen, according to the people,though it was not clear how many potential candidates had beenapproached by the company and recruiters.All three sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymitydue to the sensitivity and confidential nature of the matter.Tesla and von Holzhausen did not respond to e-mailed requestsfor comment.China is the worlds biggest auto market, plus the largestfor all-electric vehicles with sales volumes expected to reachroughly 1.5 million vehicles there this year, according toconsultancy LMC Automotive. It is also Teslas No.2 market afterthe United States.The carmakers plans for the design studio are not fullydeveloped, and the sources believe Tesla will likely wait formore clarity on strained US-China relations under a new USpresident before making a final decision on the move and all itsdetails.The talent search, which the sources said was mainly focusedwithin China, fits with comments from Tesla boss Elon Musk earlylast year."I think something that would be super cool would be ... tocreate a China design and engineering center to actually designan original car in China fo...

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  Tesla opens stores in South China's Hainan, eyes further expansion

  US electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc has opened its first Tesla center in South Chinas Hainan Province on Friday, betting on brighter market prospects in the newly established free trade zone driven by potential encouraging policies for the new-energy vehicle (NEV) industry, analysts said.Tesla electronic cars are being charged in Changzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province, on May 8. Photo: cnsphoto via Global TimesTesla opened its first center in the region which will provide consultations, deliveries and after-sales services for customers in Haikou, the capital of Hainan, bringing its Model 3, Model X and Model Y cars to the province, news website thepaper.cn reported on Saturday.The US NEV company will open its second center in Sanya in the first half of the year, planning to build charging stations in all cities and counties in the province by the end of September, according to the report.Largely expanding investment on the free trade zone, Tesla is anticipating potentially more favorable policies as the province promotes NEV industry development in its environmental protection bid and expanding opening-up policies, analysts said.From building a factory in Shanghai to opening a service center in Hainan, Tesla has maintained a key sense of policy direction and is enjoying dividends from such policies, Feng Shiming, a Shanghai-based auto industry analyst, told the Global Times on Saturday.Teslas investment project in Hainan was among the 46 projects totaling 17 billion yuan ($2.52 billion) in the province, which were inked in October as part of Hainans free trade port project, according to media reports."Currently, Hainan doesnt even rank in the top 10 in Teslas sales list in China, but the province has large growth potential due to its plan to realize Green Smart Commuting in 2030," Feng said.The warmer weather in Hainan is more conducive for NEV consumption promotion, as the batteries last longer compared with col...