Elon Musk has taken the extraordinary step of denying that Tesla cars are being used to spy on Chinese military facilities, saying the ramifications of such a scheme would mean that Tesla would “get shut down”.
Musk was responding to various reports that said Tesla had been banned from military sites, as the Chinese military had raised security concerns about sensitive data being collected by the multiple cameras installed in the cars.
China is a crucial market for Tesla and is their largest market outside of the US, accounting for over a quarter of the American firm's global sales in 2020.
Mr Musk, speaking via video link on Saturday (March 20) whilst addressing an influential Chinese business forum, said if a business such as Tesla did engage in spying on a foreign government, “the negative effects for that company would be extremely bad”.
“There's a very strong incentive for us to be very confidential with any information,” Musk told the China Development Forum.
“If Tesla used cars to spy in China or anywhere, we will get shut down,” he added.
Musk urged greater mutual trust between the world’s two biggest economies, and his remarks came as some high-ranking U.S and Chinese diplomats held their first face-to-face meeting in Alaska since Joe Biden was elected as U.S President.
China is proving to be one of the world’s biggest car markets, and a key marketplace for electric vehicles (EVs).
In 2020, Tesla sold 147,445 vehicles in China, 30% of its global total, however, the firm is facing more competition in the coming year from China-based rivals such as Nio Inc, Xpeng and Geely as the global EV market becomes a key battleground for manufacturers.
Read more
Keyword: Elon Musk denies Tesla cars are used for spying