A Tesla model's entry into a local government purchasing catalog in China is rare, considering that government parks have previously banned Tesla vehicles due to security concerns.
Tesla's (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model Y crossover has made a rare entry into a local government vehicle procurement catalog in China, marking the latest win for the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in the world's largest EV market.
The Model Y, along with a number of other locally-branded new energy vehicles (NEVs), made it into the Jiangsu provincial government's NEV procurement catalog, marking the first case of a Tesla model making it into a government procurement catalog in China.
There are dozens of other models from local brands, including the Aito M7, Avatr 11, Deepal SL03, Deepal S7, and IM Motors LS6.
The catalog covers sedans, SUVs (sport utility vehicles), MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles), pickup trucks, and buses.
Eligible SUVs need to have a range of more than 400 kilometers and cost less than RMB 250,000 yuan.
The Model Y is considered an SUV in China and the one that makes it into the catalog is its entry-level, rear-wheel-drive version, which starts at RMB 249,900 ($34,370) and has a CLTC range of 554 kilometers.
It's rare for a Tesla model to enter China's government procurement catalog, considering that Chinese government parks, and even some airports, have previously banned Tesla vehicles due to security concerns.
Tesla is facing a much friendlier environment in China this year, as it is about to bring FSD (Full Self-Driving) here.
The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said in an April 28 statement that 76 models from six car companies -- Tesla, BYD, Li Auto, Lotus, Hozon New Energy Automobile, and Nio -- meet China's four auto compliance requirements for data security.
The Tesla models that passed the tests were the 2022 and 2023 Model 3 and Model Y built at the Shanghai factory, according to the statement.
This means that Tesla Giga Shanghai-produced models passed China's authoritative national standards and requirements for vehicle data security, facilitating the full lifting of restrictions on access and parking of Tesla vehicles in some areas, such as government campuses, airports, and highways, Southern Metropolis Daily reported in one of its stories at the time citing unnamed observers.
($1 = RMB 7.2706)
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