Photo: @JayinShanghai
Tesla is suing at least two Chinese citizens with defamation claims, over the citizens raising larger concern over both the quality and safety of the automaker’s EVs, according to Bloomberg.
In both cases, Tesla is claiming that the incidents harmed their reputation and is asking for high rewards for said harm.
According to people familiar with the subject, who asked to remain anonymous due to the nature of the reports, Tesla has significantly increased its work to mitigate bad press through legal action through recent court cases, including increasing its presence on social media.
Tesla is also using verified social media accounts named ‘Tesla Legal’ to message critics posting “fabricated content” on Weibo and Douyin (China’s TikTok) in the country, warning these users of “further legal action” if they don’t comply, according to screenshots seen by Bloomberg Businessweek.
Tesla Sold 52,859 Cars in China in November 2021 https://t.co/AZKJbn9lhw
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) December 8, 2021
A partner at Beijing’s Haodong Law Firm Zhang Hiaoling said, “Tesla is using litigation to dampen the confidence of individual consumers in safeguarding their rights and, therefore, to forestall actions from other customers.”
The news comes months after one woman went viral for climbing atop a Tesla Model 3 at Shanghai’s Auto Expo in protest of the car’s brakes – at least one citizen being sued for her efforts.
Due to quality, security and privacy threats made against the company even earlier in the year, Tesla had taken to building a data storage site in China.
CEO Elon Musk had also been seen in a segment praising China on State Television – immediately following a government ban on employees driving Teslas.
