BEIJING, Nov 13 (Reuters) – U.S. automaker Tesla (TSLA.O) stated on Sunday it can help Chinese language police investigating a crash involving one in every of its Mannequin Y automobiles after native media experiences stated two folks had died and three have been injured when the driving force misplaced management of the automobile.
The incident on Nov. 5 within the southern province of Guangdong killed a motorcyclist and a highschool woman, Jimu Information reported, posting a video of a automobile driving at excessive pace crashing into different autos and a bicycle owner.
“Police are at the moment searching for a 3rd occasion appraisal company to establish the reality behind this accident and we’ll actively present any crucial help,” Elon Musk’s electrical automobile maker advised Reuters in a message on Sunday, cautioning in opposition to believing “rumours”.
China is Tesla’s second-largest market, and the crash was among the many high trending subjects on the Weibo social media platform on Sunday.
Jimu Information quoted site visitors police as saying the reason for the incident in Chaozhou metropolis had not been recognized and an unnamed member of the family of the driving force who stated the 55-year-old had points with the brake pedal when he was about to tug over in entrance of his household retailer.
Tesla stated movies confirmed that the automobile’s brake lights weren’t on when the automobile was dashing and that its knowledge confirmed points akin to there being no motion to step on the brakes all through the automobile’s journey.
Calls to police in Raoping, the county the place the accident occurred, went unanswered on Sunday.
Tesla has confronted claims of brake failure in China earlier than.
In its assertion to Reuters, the corporate stated a Chinese language automobile proprietor had been ordered by a courtroom to publicly apologise and compensate the agency after it dominated that feedback he had made to the media about points together with his brakes have been inconsistent with the info and had harmed Tesla’s fame.
Reuters couldn’t instantly confirm Tesla’s assertion.
Final yr, an sad buyer brought about a social media stir by clambering atop a Tesla on the Shanghai auto present to protest the corporate’s dealing with of her complaints about malfunctioning brakes concerned with a automobile accident.
In that occasion, Tesla stated dashing violations have been behind her crash however promised to enhance the way it addressed buyer complaints.
Reporting by Liz Lee, Zhang Yan, Liangping Gao and Cui Zhuzhu; Modifying by Brenda Goh and William Mallard
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