Photo: Yan Chang
Tesla’s appeal to consumers in China remains high, as evidenced by consumers at the company’s booth during the China International Import Expo (CIIE) over the weekend.
The automaker’s booth at the event drew a huge crowd on Sunday, according to the South China Morning Post and less foot traffic overall due to COVID-19 pandemic curbs.
The news comes amidst rising tensions between Beijing and Washington as many wonder how China-U.S. relations could affect sales of American products in the country.
One retail expert pointed out that the popularity of Tesla’s booth proves that U.S. products are still of interest to many consumers in the country.
Tesla China Delivers Nearly 72,000 Cars in October https://t.co/EEy1uZlGbC
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) November 3, 2022
“Tesla’s success [in China] proves that Chinese consumers and U.S. products are still intertwined,” said Shanghai Yacheng Culture’s chief executive, Chen Xiao. “After all, geopolitical tensions will not stop U.S. and European companies from doing business in China, because of the gargantuan size of the market.”
The event was kicked off with a televised speech from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who explained that the Shanghai event was intended to demonstrate how the country’s market could offer international businesses major opportunities amongst consumers in China.
Tesla also unveiled the Model S and X Plaid editions over the weekend, which are the company’s premium sedan and SUV options. Both models could be seen at the international trade expo, in addition to Tesla’s humanoid Optimus Robot.
